Prison Cell Blues
by Sagecycle
Summary: Lucy couldn't run away from the guilt and she definitely couldn't run away from the Rune Knights but that's all apart of her job description.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy had never felt a pain quite like this. Not even her mother's death could compare to the deep knife her family dug into her heart as they all up and abandoned the only place a lot of them called home. Lucy sighed as she looked up into the sky, dark clouds hung low, ready to pour water down onto the silent city.

Lucy's form was hidden in the shadows of the alley as she awaited her next employer. Since Fairy Tail's disbandment she had slowly morphed into a freelance mage. Lucy couldn't afford living her life any longer without a guild and she needed jewels to feed herself so the only logical option was to take jobs that were posted around town. After about a month of struggling to keep herself afloat, she learned a very valuable lesson. The more...questionable requests pay more and Lucy sure needed more jewels.

Why she was currently waiting in an alley for her employer was beyond her but she assumed it was one of the more illegal acts than that of what she had been doing. She stole from people plenty of times, getting artifacts and sometimes food and supplies that people needed in exchange for jewel or food or even a night to sleep. She had lost her apartment pretty soon after Fairy Tail disbanded, something that she knew was unavoidable.

Slumping against the alley wall, Lucy waited for at least five more minutes before a rather short woman came walking down from the mouth of the alley to where she was standing. She held something clutched in her hand, but she couldn't tell what it was from this distance. As the woman came closer, Lucy took notice of the glint of metal that she clutched in her hand. Kicking herself off of the wall she made her way towards the woman.

"You the one who requested me?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side as the woman clenched the object tighter in her hand momentarily.

"Yes, this needs to be done with complete secrecy. If my husband were to find out about this he would skin me alive and have me arrested." Lucy quirked an eyebrow at that.

"What is this request? You were very tight lipped about it." Lucy watched as the lady held up the object.

It was a small syringe, inside held a liquid that Lucy couldn't name. The liquid sloshed around within the glass before settling as the woman placed the object into her hand.

"I want you to poison my son. He's been a menace from the start. I didn't even want the kid. I'll play you generously if this is done correctly and my husband doesn't find out." Lucy's eyes widened as she almost dropped the syringe.

"Why on Earthland would you want to do that? Why not put him up for adoption or something of that sort?" Lucy questioned, handing the tube back to the woman, shaking her head.

"Please, I need this done and I know you need the money, everyone in the city is aware of your financial crisis and I can't take him any longer." The woman begged, forcing Lucy to take the syringe once more before telling her an address and when to get there tomorrow night.

Lucy shouted after her, telling her that this was crazy and she wouldn't do it, but as she made her way back into the forest where she had set up camp, she found herself contemplating it. She desperately needed the jewel and any amount would really put her in a good spot on food for the week. Tucking the needle into her jacket pocket before settling down for the night, Lucy fell asleep.

Hating herself for being here at the moment, Lucy looked down at the slumbering child as he lay in bed, completely unaware of the threat that hung over him. Lucy held the needle in her hand tightly, her eyes rolling over the child's form before she bit her lip and held her hand down over his mouth and nose. The kid's eyes immediately snapped open and his hands flailed to grab at the attacker. Lucy sat upon his arms effectively holding him down as she placed the needle against his neck. The boy whimpered behind her hand as Lucy injected him, his eyes staring right into hers.

Lucy felt the fight leave his limbs almost immediately, his eyes sliding closed as the poison took its hold on him. She saw how his chest rose and fell rapidly before suddenly stopping as death took hold of him. Rolling him over and away from his bedroom door, she tucked him back into bed and placed a small kiss upon his forehead.

"I'm so sorry." Lucy muttered to the dead boy as she crept out from the window, shutting in behind her and leaving without a trace.

Tears slipped past her eyes as she ran away from the apartment building as silently as she came, wishing to every God that could hear her to forgive her for committing something so foul. Her act was all over the headlines the next day, as the boy's father discovered him dead in his bed that very night when he went to check on his son. The pain filled voice of the father had Lucy feeling even worse as she passed a lacrima shop with the news playing in the windows. Keeping her head low as she once again found herself in the alley, waiting for the woman to make her appearance.

The sound of footsteps had Lucy looking up, expecting the woman as before, but the sight of Rune Knights had Lucy's blood freezing. There were at least six of them heading straight for her, their staffs held up towards the blonde in a threatening manner.

"Lucy Heartfilia, you are under arrest for suspicion of killing a child and many accounts of theft. Come with us calmly and we won't have to restrain you by force." The man in front held his staff out towards her as he stalked closer.

Lucy cursed, turning heel and darting away from the men in robes as she weaved through the garbage and tight corners of the alleys. She could hear the men give chase behind her as she ran through the darkened pathways, hoping that she would lose them amongst the trash and shadows that danced along the walls. The sound of feet fast approaching from in front of her had her stumbling. Right before she turned the corner she spotted more Rune Knights storming in from the opening in front of her.

Spinning on her heel she took in her surroundings quickly, noticing a much smaller alley towards the side. She rushed for it, fitting herself into its small crevice right before the Captain could grab her. She didn't give them time to regroup, Lucy quickly slipped out of the alleys and into the empty streets of Magnolia, running for her life into the woods that was across the river. Jumping into the water, the blonde scrambled onto the bank, brushing the water out of her eyes as she ducked into the trees.

She could hear the sounds of footfalls behind her, further away as the spread out to search the woods. Lucy could feel her heart hammering away in her chest, her lungs screaming at her to stop and breath and her legs cramping up as she pushed herself further into the dark trees. The sound of their feet slowly grew quieter before she stopped hearing it completely. Slowing down into a walk, she allowed herself to gulp in quick breaths in hopes of filling her lungs and calming her frayed nerves. She could feel her keys against her hip as they warmed against her touch, Loke wanted to come out.

She paused in her gait to watch as the lion came out of his gate, his bright orange hair sticking out amongst the dark trees. His glasses hid his eyes from view but judging from his posture the spirit was worried.

"Lucy would you just talk to us? You've had all of us scared sick with your current actions and now you go and end someone's life? We know you are running out of options but doing something like that isn't something you would ever do, no matter what the cost." Loke pulled Lucy into a tight hug, feeling just how tense the blonde is as she held herself ramrod straight in his hold.

"I know Loke, I can't take back what I did however, and I know if I get arrested I most likely wouldn't get out of there. My only option now is to keep running." Lucy pulled herself out of Loke's hold, turning to force his gate closed.

"No Princess, please just turn yourself in, you can't run from this forever, the law will eventually catch up to you and you'll be in more trouble from evading capture." Loke begged his holder, watching as her stiff posture fell.

Lucy turned to face him, her eyes watery as he enveloped her in another hug. She buried her face into his neck, feeling the day's events finally crash down on her. Tears slipped from her eyes as she realized just what mess she got herself into. Loke let her cry against his shoulder for a while, waiting for her to calm down before they talked about what would happen next.

Lucy was ripped out of Loke's hold as a hand clamped down on her shoulder. The rough tug of the Rune Knight surprised the blonde and she felt herself falling to the ground as he let her go. The male clamped cuffs around her wrists, effectively sending Loke back to the Spirit World before he could intervene. The Knight above the blonde gave her a harsh glare before he hoisted her up onto his shoulder and pulled out a lacrima. He called the Captain, informing him that he had found her and that he was making his way back now.

Lucy couldn't bring herself to fight back, she knew what she had done was wrong but she went through with it anyway. She hung limply over his back the entire way back to Magnolia where the Captain and his men were waiting next to a car. Lucy was thrown in the back of the vehicle roughly and with her hands bound she couldn't catch herself as they tossed her inside. The blonde curled up in a ball, hiding as much of herself as she could as they closed the doors behind her before they sped off towards Era.

The trip took all night and Lucy awoke to Kights hauling her to her feet as they pulled her into the prison. The gray walls lacked any decoration as she was pulled through heavy steel doors that were locked into a long hallway of cells. They bypassed all of them and at the end of the hallway was an elevator down. Lucy looked up at the Knights as they led her down the elevator and further underground. Lucy could feel the magical energy pulse around her as the steel doors slid open. Once again her eyes were met with cells, except these seemed more protected. She glanced into some, seeing many mages locked up and chained to the walls in shackles.

They took her down to the very end of the hallway where the cells ended before they unlocked a cell and pulled her in after them. They attached a large metal cuff around her neck and feet, chaining her to the wall before they released her hands and shut the door behind them. The sound of the tumbles in the lock rung loudly in her ears as they dangled her set of keys in front of the doors before stalking off, their laughter echoing throughout the silent area. Once the elevator doors slid closed and the Knights were gone, the silence erupted into loud chatter. Mages ranted and raved, most of them talking about the new addition to the ranks.

Lucy blocked all of them out, instead choosing to stick her head in between her knees and curl up, still worked up over the mess that is her life now.

One of the prisoners had perked up when he heard the sound of the elevator whirring to life and dropping down to their level. It had been awhile since anyone new had been down here and he was interested in who it was. He could just make out the sound of their soul and he swore up and down that he had heard it somewhere before. He could hear the melodic orchestra clearer once the doors of the elevator opened. He couldn't make out who it was seeing as he was farther in the hallway but the closer their steps got the more he could make out the person's scent.

They smelled of honey and lavender, a mix he didn't know went well together until he smelt it. He could just barely see the person and when they finally did come into view he was floored. The fact that it was a woman had his interest piked. There weren't many women down here, mostly because they kept them seperate from the males but seeing as how she was down here she must've done something to deserve it. Her long blonde hair hid her face from view but he took notice of her curvy figure, as did every other male that she passed by.

Her shapely legs were muscular and covered in black skinny jeans that hugged her body like a second skin. Her tapered waist and generous bust were confined in a skin tight black muscle shirt. Her skin glowed under the dim fluorescent lights. He saw the keys that were attached to her belt around her waist and he swore his jaw fell open. His single indigo eye widened as he fell back from the cell doors as they opened the empty cell in front of his. They placed the shackles down upon her and took her keyring off of her waist before walking out of the cell, dangling the metal objects in front of her before they laughed and walked away.

Now that the males were out of his line of sight, he was able to see her fully as she hid her face in between her legs and passed out. He didn't need to see her face to know who it was however, those keys told him just who it was. What he couldn't figure out is why she was here in the first place.

"Just what is someone like you doing down here in a place like this Starshine?" Cobra muttered to himself before settling down against the wall, waiting for her to wake from her slumber.

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I just wanted to write a short story on my all time favorite paring from this show. The plot had been churning in my head for awhile now and I finally decided to put pen to paper, or in this case, words on my word doc and finish writing it. I hope you enjoyed and I might come back to this and write another chapter, maybe make it into a multi-chapter fic, I'm not sure yet. Stay tuned and maybe you'll find out!**

 **Until Next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy awoke to the sound of cell doors slamming open. The loud clang of metal startled her awake and a rough hand hauled her to her feet. The man's hold on her upper arm was tight as they took off her restraints and put cuffs on her hands to keep her at bay.

"Come on girly, new prisoners have to get a check up." The man's hoarse voice sent shivers down her spine as he dragged her out of her cell and down the hallway back towards the elevators.

Lucy felt a shot of fear course down her spine as she was drug through the hallways and towards a small metal door, much like all the other doors in the facility. They sat her down on a metal bed, locking her feet and wrists to the bed to keep her still. Lucy watched with bated breath as the man that led her there grinned down at her, holding a needle in his hand and injecting her with a clear substance. Lucy felt her head grow fuzzy almost immediately. The last thing she saw before her consciousness faded was the man's cheshire grin and his deep voice muttering things to two new arrivals before her eyes slid closed.

Lucy wasn't quite sure what had happened when she was asleep, but she was aware of the pain in her head as she woke up from her slumber. The people that were in the room before were no longer there. A nurse was writing something down on a chart when Lucy's eyes blinked open blearily.

"Oh you're awake! Here take this and drink it, the medicine we gave you makes you incredibly thirsty. When we are done here we will let you get back to your cell." The woman smiled at Lucy softly, making Lucy uncomfortable.

"Right." Lucy took the drink none-the-less, drinking it heartily as the nurse stepped back from the bed.

After a few minutes of letting the fog of her mind clear, the man from earlier came back in. They undid the cuffs around her and pulled her up to stand. Lucy felt her head spin from the sudden shift of the world. They didn't let her recover as they once again brought her back down to her cell. Once they had her cuffs back around her they undid the ones around her wrists and left her with a cup of water and some bread. Shutting the cell door behind them as they left, Lucy was once again by herself. The dizziness from earlier had come back full force and she found herself bent over in the corner, dispelling the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

The sound of another person gagging caught her attention and after her stomach stopped rolling, she lifted her head up to glance across from her cell. The sight of unruly maroon colored hair and a single indigo colored eye that was currently watching her had her head spinning again. She couldn't believe who she was seeing. The scar that bisected his left eye only confirmed who it was that was currently frowning at her.

"You alright Starshine? You seem out of it." His voice left Lucy's head mush, her heart hammering away in her chest.

She couldn't lie to herself, she had found the man attractive when they had first run into each other, and when she saw him again, that godforsaken scar and his wonderfully tanned skin made her mouth water. Pulling herself to stand, the blonde felt her head spin again. One of the guards standing down at the edge of the hallway heard the commotion and came over, his staff in hand. Knocking his weapon against the girl's cell door, he called out to her.

"Come on girly, keep it down in there." The large man turned to glare at Cobra before he stalked off.

Lucy ignored the man, instead turning to face her cuffs around her ankles. Digging around in her hair, she thanked the lucky stars that she always had a bobby pin on her. Fiddling with the locks, she was able to undo both of them before the man from earlier came back around. Hurring to hide her escape attempt, she put the metal over her ankles again, watching as he stared at her for a moment before turning away. Her companion was silent, watching as she felt for the one around her neck and dug the pin into the lock. Fiddling with it she cheered as the tumbles slid into place and popped open.

Being as quiet as possible, Lucy snuck to the door, glancing around for the guard before she stuck her hand out and passed the pin to Cobra. Said man backed away as the metal object came flying out towards him. The pin landed at his feet, laying there as he looked up to the blonde.

"Come on, I'm gonna need some help getting my keys back." Lucy smiled at the dumbstruck look on the male's face before he scrambled to grab the pin.

Lucy sat back and waited for him to unlock his restraints. When he was finally free, he dissolved the lock on the door before silently letting Lucy out of her cell. The two crept past all the other cells, ignoring the pointed looks of other mages as they swept up from behind and Cobra knocked out the guard with a single punch to the back of his head. Easily hiding the guard in one of the cells with a piece of cloth shoved deep in his mouth and his hands behind him restrained so he couldn't get it out, they left him there and made their way into the elevator.

Lucy found it odd to work with the criminal who on more than one occasion had tried to kill her. Biting back a groan of annoyance, the blonde immediately sidestepped one of the guards that came rushing her, watching in satisfaction as his face met with the cold metal and a resounding crunch met her ears.

"Yeah that's right fucker, break your own nose." Lucy sneered, watching as his body slumped to the floor, a trail of blood left behind of the wall from where it met his nose.

Cobra chuckled at the feral look in Lucy's eyes, watching as she stomped on his face for good measure before she turned back to him and made their way past the other set of cells before coming to the locked door. The blonde turned to him, her hands held out towards the door.

"It's all yours Snake Boy." Lucy teased, watching a tick form in his brow before he huffed and destroyed the lock before kicking the door open roughly.

The sound caught every guard's attention that was in the vicinity. Before they could blink, they were being rushed at on all sides. Lucy grumbled under her breath and picked up one of the guard's staffs before brandishing it out in front of her.

"Thank the Gods for Virgo's weapons training, I wouldn't know how to use this thing otherwise." The blonde girl silently thanked her spirit before she jumped on the nearest guard, knocking him off of his feet and hitting him upside the head.

Cobra spared the blonde a single look before he shook his head and turned to the large majority of the others who were watching him idly. They seemed fearful as they stood a good ten feet around the male who was currently keeping his attention on the blonde as she knocked some guard upside the head and he fell to the ground in a heap. He kept his eyes trained on the blonde as she tossed the staff to the side when one of the guards got too close and her staff would no longer provide safety. Cobra thought he would have to step in and save her ass, until she dropped to the floor as the guard came lunging at her and slid out from beneath him. She was on top of the male before Cobra could blink. Her hands were wrapped around his throat tightly, watching him as he clawed at her hand to get her grip to weaken. The blonde simply held him tighter until she felt his movements cease and even then she held him for a minute more.

Listening intently, he heard the guard's heart stop as she slowly loosened her grip around his neck before she was once again pounced on by another guard. A scream tore through the air that didn't come from the guard. A knife was jutting out from Lucy's side as she kicked the guard off of her. Her brow was furrowed and her hand came up to pull the blade from her side before she turned on the guard and jammed the weapon into his neck. The gurgle and the blood that bubbled up from his lungs had Cobra gagging as he turned from the sight. When the gurgling had stopped he turned back to see Lucy tear off a long strip off of her jumper and tie it tightly around her waist before she picked the knife up and out of the guard before she lunged at another one, slashing at his face before she too cut his throat.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he called over to the blonde to cover her nose. Making sure that she did as he asked, he turned and released a fog of poison into the air that many of the guards breathed in. They all soon fell like flies, leaving the two mages standing overtop a large mass of dead bodies. Lucy immediately took off, running down the halls sporadically to find her keys. Stopping at a door that wasn't labeled, she rammed into it with her shoulder and heard the cracking of the door frame before it gave way. Inside lay dozens of crates filled with the belongings of the prisoners. Easily finding a box labeled Heartfilia, she dug through it and pulled out her keys and whip. Placing them to the side she fished out her clothes and pulled down her jumper, ignoring the piercing stare of the male that was still standing in the doorway. Sliding into her jeans and her long sleeved shirt, she felt more at home already. Tugging on her boots, she laced them up before latching her belt in place and put her whip on it. Turning to the male that was still in the doorway, she rolled her eyes before she began to look around the room once more.

"What are you doin' now Starshine?" Cobra's deep voice broke the silence and Lucy found her face burning as she dug through the crates until she spotted his box.

"I'm getting your stuff too, unless you want to walk out of here in a prisoner's jumper, then be my guest, but I'm going to lie and say you were trying to kidnap me when we get caught." Lucy's lighthearted tone caught Cobra off guard as she tossed him his shirt and jeans. "Now throw those on and we can get out of here."

Cobra did as told and within seconds he was fully dressed and the two were making their way past the reception desk with moderate ease. The receptionist didn't have any questions for the two when Lucy spun and threw the knife straight at the woman. The knife hit it's target and the brunette behind the desk fell backwards from the momentum, dead once she hit the floor.

"Where'd you learn that move?" Cobra asked as they stepped outside the building, shielding his eyes from the bright light before turning to look at the blonde beside him.

"Virgo taught me." Was the blonde's curt answer as she began to scour the field for a vehicle.

Running up to an S.E. plug she hopped in the driver's seat before patting the passenger's for Cobra to join her. The male made his way to the car, watching as Lucy settled in her seat before starting the car and placing the band around her arm. Once seated and buckled in, they took off down the dirt road, to where Cobra didn't know.

"Where are we going?" He asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Far away from here. It's all we can do." She replied, glancing her way before she turned back toward the road.

 **Tah Dah! Chapter two! I now plan on making this a longer story about their adventures together so stay tuned for another chapter and don't forget to follow it to stay up to date! Commenting also helps because it tells me what I need to work on and anything you like, I love your comments and I read them all!**


	3. Chapter 3

Cobra awoke to the brakes squealing and the cart coming to a halt. Lucy opened her side door and jumped out, rushing up to the front of the car before popping open the hood and covering her nose as a thick black smoke came bellowing out from underneath it. Waving her hand in her face once the smoke dissipated, she coughed a bit before blinking and peering down into the mess of mechanical equipment and wires. Sighing in disappointment, she pulled out one of her keys and summoned out Virgo.

"Punishment Hime?" The maid spirit chimed when she came into view, her shackles jingling as she bowed.

"No Virgo, I was wondering if you knew what was wrong with the car, it sputtered and blew out smoke before dying on me." Lucy smiled to her spirit when the maid immediately got to work looking over the parts before bowing and disappearing from view.

"Well that's unhelpful, she didn't even say goodbye." Cobra grumbled, his head in his hand as he watched Lucy bite her nails.

"Nonsense, she'll be right back." Lucy smiled to him, watching as his single eye widened ever so slightly before he turned away, a scowl set in place.

True to her word, Virgo appeared almost immediately afterward with a belt in her hand. She scooted Lucy out of her way before replacing the belt and tossing away the broken one. Clapping her hands together to rid them of some oil she turned back to Lucy.

"Is that all Hime?" Virgo asked, receiving a nod from Lucy she disappeared with a bow once again.

Lucy smiled softly at the now vacant spot her spirit had once stood for a moment before she turned to get back in the car. Her smile grew when the car started and the two were off once more, the small vehicle once again speeding down the dirt path, kicking up dust as they drove along. Cobra wasn't paying attention to where they were going, nor was he paying attention to the chipper blonde next to him as she started to hum as they continued on their journey. He was content to sit there and nap in a place that didn't leave a cramp in his neck. A few more hours went by before he once again was jolted awake by the car's sudden stop. Instead of a cursing blonde, he awoke to her bright smile in his face as she pulled him out of the car.

"Come on Sleepy Head, let's go get something to eat." She whispered into his ear as she hefted his body weight, carrying the still drowsy slayer into the small diner they stopped at.

Taking a seat in a booth away from the commotion of the dining hall was a silent blessing from the blonde that she gifted upon him. The amount of people in there was starting to give him a headache with how loud their souls were. Focusing on the continuous ball of sunshine in front of him was the only thing that kept him from bleeding from his ears. She was glancing through the menu currently, her soft voice still humming to herself as she read over the options that were laid out in front of her. When she seemed to find what she wanted, she beckoned over a waitress and told the female what she wanted before turning to him and raising a brow at him in question.

" _What do you want Cobra?"_ He was shocked to hear her thoughts center around that, but realized why she did it.

"Salad" was his curt response before he turned back toward the blonde.

She seemed content with his answer and smiled at the waitress before she left to fill their order.

"Why a salad? That doesn't seem like something that would fill you up." Lucy questioned aloud, her head resting in her hand as she gazed at him.

"I don't eat meat." Cobra's blunt response surprised Lucy. "I can't stand the flavor."

Lucy hummed in thought, turning her attention towards the other customers before her eyes fell towards a certain person. Her eyes widened in response and her entire posture seemed to stiffen as she spun around and ducked down into the booth further. Cobra found the entire thing rather comical if it weren't for the dead serious look that came across her face.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to go and have a talk with someone." Lucy slid out of her chair, brushing her hair down before she came marching up to a woman sitting with what Cobra assumed was her husband.

Lucy tapped on the woman's shoulder, smiling sweetly down at the short woman before hauling her to her feet and muttering some words to the man before she pulled the woman out of the cafe. Cobra couldn't see them any longer but he could hear the sudden wave of anger that came from Lucy. He was tempted to get up and go find out what just happened but their food came and the thought of eating triumphed investigating, after all he knew she was capable of taking care of herself.

He could hear every word of their conversation, every damn word.

"You ratted me out, you skank." Lucy hissed venomously down at the short woman, watching in satisfaction as her eyes flashed with fear before she put on a brave facade.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't say anything." The woman responded in kind, her eyes looking everywhere but at Lucy.

"Then how come next morning instead of getting my payment I was met with Rune Knights. I know I covered my tracks well enough to keep them off my back and the only one who knew about the whole thing was you." Lucy glared at the woman, grabbing her by the neck so she would meet her eyes. "I don't know why I'm even talking to you and not just crushing your windpipe beneath my fingers."

The woman flailed a bit before the tightening around her neck forced her still.

"I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" The lady choked out, her hands clawing at Lucy's as she tightened her fingers further around her neck.

"If you don't want to end up dead like your son, I suggest you give me the money you promised Lady, you don't want me as an enemy and trust me, you're about to make that list." Lucy's eyes flashed in anger before she let the woman go, watching as she fell to the ground.

The woman coughed for air as she dug through her purse to pull out her wallet and handed the article over to the blonde. Scoffing, she dug through it and pulled out all the jewel before tossing the object to the ground.

"And if I catch wind of you telling anyone what transpired here, I will personally rip your heart out and make you eat it." Lucy glared down at the woman, making sure she understood the guidelines before she let her go and back into the cafe.

Looking down at the wad of money in her hand, Lucy sighed before pocketing it and marching back to the car, not wanting to walk in there and cause another scene. She waited patiently for Cobra to come back, smiling when he walked out with a take out box in hand. She unlocked the door for him and thanked him before taking the box from his outstretched hand and opening it up to see her sandwich and a few fries laid out inside. Raising a brow at the lack of fries she turned to the male that was now buckling his belt.

"What? I got snackish." He shrugged his shoulders, chuckling as Lucy just sighed and dug into her food.

She ate on the road, wanting to gain as much distance with that town as possible before they were to settle down for the night. Driving a few more hours, they managed to make it into a small town just as night fell. They wandered about the streets aimlessly looking for a bar or something to be open that they could get something to eat from before heading back to their car to sleep. Finding a small bar on the outskirts of town that was still open and rather packed, they settled and found a booth towards the door.

A waiter came up to them and took their order before slinking off further into the establishment. Lucy closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. The scent of cigarette smoke and alcohol lingered in the air, making her eyes burn at the strength of the odor. Chuckling met her ears and she turned to face a rather smug Cobra.

"Finally found your weakness Starshine. Didn't know you couldn't handle cigarettes." The male laughed, watching as Lucy's face flushed red before she turned away from him, a frown on her face.

That only seemed to make Cobra laugh harder. His single eye was clenched shut, his lips curved upward into a smile. Lucy found the sight rather appealing. When Cobra opened his eye to find Lucy smiling at him, he had to dig his nails into his leg to keep from touching her. She seemed so happy to be with him in that moment that it touched his heart. No one had ever looked at him that way before and to finally have someone in his life that cared made his heart beat faster. His face felt hot as he turned from the blonde. The silence that surrounded them felt heavy as they ate. Lucy didn't seem to notice Cobra's inner turmoil, something he was grateful for as they walked in silence towards their car. Lucy was lost in thought as she stared up into the night sky.

She could just barely make out Aquarius' constellation. Being this close to Aquarius made her heart feel heavy. Tears blurred her vision as she turned from the sky and looked dead ahead of her. Cobra felt the turn of Lucy's mood before he even heard her soul. The crestfallen tone that filtered throughout his body made him feel discontent. He didn't even realize he was doing it until his arm was wrapped around Lucy's shoulders. The blonde was still in his arms as he enveloped her body in a hug. Lucy felt the warmth of his touch before she smelt his familiar scent. His warmth wrapped around her like a blanket and immediately lifted her from her depressing thoughts.

"Cobra? What?" She asked, hesitantly wrapping her arms around his waist as she snuggled closer to the male.

"Don't. Just don't." He didn't elaborate on the hug, he just stood there until he felt Lucy pull away.

They didn't talk about it once they got themselves situated in the car, they didn't bring it up when they woke up that next morning, nor did they throughout the following few days afterward. They did however find themselves seeking the comfort that the other offered, whether it be a hug or holding hands, they found themselves touching each other more afterwards. It wasn't usually Lucy who initiated the contact either. Cobra was the one who usually sought out the blonde, something that made her happy and nervous all at once. Whenever he touched her, her nerves would buzz with excitement and her stomach would twist into knots. Whatever was happening, she hadn't experienced before.

They had just crossed the border into Bosco before they stopped, settling down in a small city on the outskirts of the border. They had settled down hard, both easily standing out amongst the crowd for their unique features. Light haired people were rare in Bosco and that had made Lucy stand out like a sore thumb. Cobra stood out because of his strange features, his missing eye, the pointed ears, he was definitely foreign to them. Them standing out brought a lot of attention to them, many of which attracted both men and women alike, and since the country was very well known for their lack of shame when it came to sexual activities, they had many requesting them to have sex. Lucy turned them all down politely, with a flush on her face from some who were rather touchy as they asked. Cobra on the other hand seemed to indulge many as they walked up to him, something Lucy found both strange and aggravating all at the same time. Hell he even had men inquiring about his sexual orientation on multiple occasions, yet what surprised her most was the fact that he didn't turn down all the men who walked up to him.

When he woke up the next morning after a particularly loud night of sex with whoever he had taken home, he dealt with a very embarrassed Lucy. It was worse when one of the male prospects had come waltzing out of the room with nothing but boxers on and thanked Cobra for the night before walking out the door with his clothes hung over his shoulder. Lucy hadn't spoken to him for hours after that run-in and he had thought it was because she disliked his taste. He was pleased to find that she did in fact not hate him and just found the entire subject strange, but he couldn't blame her. Cobra had never been choosy with who he slept with, in his line of work he got whoever he could take. He was never bottom though and for some reason that was what Lucy found the weirdest about the whole topic. Cobra laughed at her dumbfounded expression before he got a swift smack upside the head for making fun of her, something he didn't find all that surprising.

They had been in the small town for a little over a month before they had packed up and moved more toward the capital city, Pelerno. They had heard stories of the largest guild in all of Earthland and Lucy hoped that they could land spots in the guild so they could have a steady flow of money. The trek took no longer than two days and soon they were standing in front of the large building. The large guild, White Sea, was huge, and what shocked the blonde the most was finding out that the guild had several other smaller branches all throughout Bosco. The excitement bubbled inside of her the longer she stood in front of the doors. Glancing back toward the silent dragon slayer at her side, she grabbed his hand and forced the large doors open, coming face to face with well over a couple hundred mages all gathered around a large stage.

There was a male up on stage, his shoulder length black hair standing out against his tanned skin, just like every other Boscan she knew, they all had tan skin. His eyes were focused down on the guitar in his lap, but when he looked up and flashed the crowd with a smile, she saw just how handsome the man was. The red highlights in his hair fit him well, and matched perfectly with his wine colored eyes. He looked easily over 6 feet tall, his body slender like a swimmer's but not lacking in muscle. The guild was mostly silent as his voice filtered through the air.

A small commotion towards her left had her head turning towards that direction and her heart almost hit the ground as a large burly man came into view. His blond hair stood up in spikes as he laughed at something his company said. He was seated next to a man wearing a strikingly familiar helmet that had Lucy's heart soaring.

Rushing over and taking a seat next to the two males, their eyes snapped in her direction as she and her partner sat down, both of their eyes widening as they took in just who sat down.

"Cosplayer! What are you doin' in Bosco?" Bickslow's voice hit her ears as he flung an arm over her shoulder.

"I could ask you the same thing, Bicks. What are you two doing here?" Lucy giggled, her eyes glancing back towards the man on stage for a moment before she focused back on the tall acrobatic seith mage at her side.

"I was born in Bosco Sweetheart, thought everyone knew that." The blunt answer had Lucy really looking at the mage.

She realized that he did in fact seem to fit the description of Boscan so that didn't surprise her as much as it should've.

"Why are you here though? I thought you guys went to Blue Pegasus." Lucy asked, watching as Laxus paled ever so slightly before he spoke up.

"We did originally, but Bicks wanted to check in on his family and we found it easier to settle here." Laxus rubbed at his neck awkwardly, making Lucy doubt that was all that happened but dropped the issue.

"Anyway Cheerleader, what are you doing here? I heard through the grapevine you were still in Magnolia working as a freelancer." Bickslow pulled the attention back to her, watching as she grew still before looking toward the silent slayer who had placed himself next to her.

"Uhh about that…" She muttered, looking down towards her hands to avoid their sudden curious gazes.

"Starshine here got herself into a mess back home and ended up in prison. We got out and she took us here." Cobra spoke up, reclining back in the chair as everyone's gaze snapped to him.

"What do you mean, she got herself into a mess? Lucy you broke out of prison?" Laxus' booming voice pulled some people's attention towards the small group towards the front of the guild but a harsh glare from Cobra had them turning back just as quickly as they did.

"I couldn't leave, I promised...but that bitch ratted me out. I should've done more to her than just take my money that she owed me." Lucy hissed as an afterthought, not noticing the horrified looks that crossed over both Laxus and Bickslow's faces as they stared at her.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she flashed them a sickeningly sweet smile towards them.

"Bicksy, baby. You don't think you could get us a chat with the guildmaster here so we can join do you?" Lucy purred, cuddling up to the still horrified man as watching with a glint in her eye as he jumped up out of his seat and practically pulled her and Cobra with him up the stairs.

"Hey Kaleb, two of my friends want to join." Bickslow shouted to his brother as he crested the stairs, coming to a shut door before he pushed it open and Lucy and Cobra followed him inside.

Lucy once again found herself captivated by said male behind the desk. His silvery blond hair that brushed just past his shoulders caught the light and sparkled. His lavender colored eyes looked up and rested upon Lucy almost immediately, a blush spreading across her cheeks as he smiled at her.

"And who might these two be, Bickslow?" Kaleb asked without looking away from the short blonde that stood next to his younger brother.

"Lucy here is from my old guild, thought she was in Crocus but just showed up out of the blue a few minutes ago with this guy tailing her." Bickslow tossed a finger in Cobra's direction before placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Cosplayer, this is my older brother Kaleb, he's the current guildmaster of White Sea."

Lucy's jaw practically dropped. She couldn't believe her rambunctious guildmate could even be related to the sex on legs that was currently still eyeing her like she was candy.

' _Gods I wish he would put me in his mouth.'_ Lucy thought to herself, forgetting that her partner behind her could hear everything she thought.

Instead of being met with laughter from Cobra, she was met with the deep sound of chuckling that came from none other than Kaleb. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise before she flushed an even deeper shade of red. There was no way he had heard her, right?

"On the contrary Little one. I heard every word." His deep voice sent shivers down her spine as he beckoned her to come closer.

As if her body was betraying her, she found her legs moving without her knowledge. She came to stop right in front of Kaleb's desk, her body ramrod straight as he stood and came around the side to stand in front of her. His hand came to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing over her flushed skin as he bent down and kissed her lips. Lucy immediately responded to him, her eyes fluttering closed and leaning into his hold.

The two other occupants of the room were staring at the two wide eyed. Cobra couldn't believe what he was seeing. For weeks now Lucy had been fighting off advances of so many men and women alike and she wasn't even in the presence of this man for more than two minutes and she was already kissing him. Bickslow was at a loss. He had never seen Kaleb show any sign of interest in women, he didn't show an interest in anyone for that matter, but with Lucy attached to his face like a leach, he assumed he was wrong in thinking that Kaleb just wasn't interested.

Kaleb pulled back, watching as Lucy's eyes fluttered open to stare up at him in confusion.

"Come Little One, I'll give you both you're marks and you can go and meet with everyone." Kaleb smiled down at the still dazed blonde before he pulled her towards him and called out to her. "Lucy? Where would you like your guild mark?

"Huh? Oh! Umm…" Lucy paused momentarily, looking down towards her hand before she shook the idea aside.

She came here to start anew and she didn't want to be reminded of her old guild every time she washed her hands. Leaning her head to the side, she pointed to the left side of her neck.

"Here please, in gold." Lucy murmured, her face still flushed red as she felt Kaleb's touch linger on her neck as he placed the stamp to her skin.

"Okay, now yours?" He turned to Cobra, watching as the male came forward and pointed towards his bicep.

"Purple." He answered, letting Kaleb place the mark before he pulled his sleeve down and stepped back.

"Okay, I'll let Bickslow lead you two around and introduce you." Kaleb bent down to place a kiss upon Lucy's lips once more before he led them all out and Bickslow once again took them down the stairs.

"Alright, now that I know Kaleb is into women, I'm going to have to have you around a lot more often now Cosplayer, I've never scene Kaleb once kiss anyone other than Father. Here come on I'll introduce you to a few more of my siblings, they should be around here somewhere." Bickslow motioned for Lucy and Cobra to follow behind, going around the guild and having both of them chat with everyone he knew.

Lucy had met many of the guild members by the end of the day, but no more of Bickslow's family, despite now knowing that the man on stage when she walked in was the youngest of his siblings, Vander, who Bickslow had made her promise she wouldn't run into him without someone with her. She raised a brow at the strange request but agreed to it.

They spent the rest of the day, chatting with both Laxus and Bickslow at the table and a little with Kaleb when he popped out to mingle a bit. Lucy had ended up rooming with Laxus and Cobra had ended up rooming with Bickslow for the time being until they got enough money to rent an apartment of their own.

As Lucy settled down for the night in Laxus' spare bedroom, she pondered to herself where her life would take her next.

 **Hey you guys! I know it seems like I'm diverging from the paring here, but I wanted to add a bit of variation within this story and I have been reading a story for a bit now and I couldn't help but introduce a few new characters into it. The characters in this are not mine and I certainly don't wanna stake claim to them, they are merely in this for added plot. CoLu is the end goal, I just wanted to spice it up a bit before I went overboard and rushed their relationship development, I want it to be gradual and I felt that it was moving along too fast so I slowed it down a bit and introduced a new love interest (potentially a few more). Thank you for reading and I will post another chapter soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up the next morning was difficult for her body was oddly sore. Stretching with a groan as her back popped, Lucy stood on her feet before summoning out Virgo for a change of clothes. Smiling at her spirit, she bid the woman a good morning before Virgo handed her a set of clothes and some toiletries for her to go and clean herself up. The spirit smiled at her holder before wishing her a good day and disappearing in an array of shimmering light. Lucy clutched the clothes close to her chest, happy that her spirits still cared, despite all that has happened. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she crept down the hallway into what she assumed was the guest bathroom before locking herself in and running herself a shower.

Letting the water run over her head, she got lost in thought.

' _Now that we are both in a guild and out of Fiore, I don't expect them to track us all the way here and we have a steady income of money. This is my chance on redeeming myself.'_ Lucy hummed to herself, washing the suds off of her before shutting the water off and stepping out of the shower.

Toweling herself off, she dressed in what Virgo had brought her and turned to look in the mirror. What looked back at her was a stranger. Her normally pale skin was even whiter, almost ashen, dark circles stuck out underneath from her eyes harshly, making her look almost sickly. Her hair hung around her limply, the color seemingly duller than normal. Her eyes, usually bright with life, seemed dull and devoid of happiness, but she supposed that was normal for her now. Sighing when she found nothing of importance, she called upon Cancer in hopes of him being able to make her look somewhat presentable.

Lucy let her spirit get right to work, staring at herself in the mirror as Cancer's scissors worked over her hair and face. When he finished, Lucy looked like a different person. Gone was the dark circles making her look sick, her skin looked more alive, her cheeks flushed with color. Her hair was tucked into a side ponytail, the color brighter, more vibrant as it swung about. Yet her eyes still looked dead and lifeless. Despite the ache in her heart, she smiled at her reflection, taking notice of how forced it seemed before turning away and thanking Cancer before she sent him back. Opening the bathroom door seemed almost scary as she pulled on the handle.

The house was still quiet as she made her way down to the kitchen to make breakfast for the slumbering mage upstairs. Finding some eggs and toast, she settled on simplicity as she turned on the burner and placed the pan overtop. The sizzling of eggs seemed to wake the male and as soon as she had finished with breakfast, he came wandering downstairs into the kitchen. Laxus blinked twice at the blonde as she spun about setting the small table up with plates full of food.

"You didn't have to go through all the trouble to make breakfast, Blondie. We all could've gone out to eat." Laxus grumbled as he sat down at the table, a small blush on his cheeks when Lucy smiled up at him.

"I wanted to do something nice for you seeing as how you took us in just like that. It's been awhile since I have been in touch with any of you guys and I didn't realize just how much I missed it." Laxus watched as her eyes grew misty before she shook her head and smiled at him.

"Yeah well, despite Fairy Tail disbanding, I couldn't just ignore your presence. We are still family despite it all." Laxus turned away from the blonde in front of him, not noticing the soft smile he received in response.

Lucy felt touched. It wasn't that she didn't look at him that way either, it's just that she didn't expect something like this from the male. He seemed so standoffish with her that she didn't think she would ever get to be friends with him. It seems she had been wrong yet again as she took notice of the soft blush on his cheeks and his awkward frown that marred his face despite the soft look in his eye.

"I'm grateful that you thought of my safety and it makes me happy that someone still cares." Lucy whispered, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she turned away from his questioning gaze.

"When Fairy Tail disbanded and everyone started to leave, I was the one that stayed. I had made a promise to wait for him to come back, but it got hard. I didn't have a continuous amount of money and jobs were hard to come by. I...guess I could've left to find another guild, but I don't make promises lightly and thought that if I stayed long enough he would've come back and fixed everything but weeks went by and I lost my apartment. I was out in the streets with little food and no money and something in me just broke. I started taking different jobs, ones that offered more money, but made me do some horrendous things. I stole things, hurt people, but the most recent one I took encompassed killing a child that a mother wanted gone. I wasn't able to turn it down if I wanted food so I found myself standing over a child. He was so peaceful. I remember covering his mouth and nose, blocking him from making noise and waking anyone up. He was so scared but I didn't care at the time, all I thought of was more food for the week. I stick him with a needle and he didn't last very long. He struggled for a few moments afterward but eventually he stopped breathing and he sat there in his bed, lifeless."

Laxus stared down at the silent blonde as she turned away from him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lucy kill? That wasn't something he ever thought she would do, to anyone, let alone a child. Pushing away his shock, he found himself placing a hand over hers, watching as she turned to face him. Tears fell from her eyes as she stared back at him, her lips quivering as she held back sobs.

"All of us have done something in life we regret. But these things don't make us who we are, we do. I don't look at you any differently now that I know this, but I do see someone who is struggling to look past what she has done. Come on, let's clean up and head to the guild, I heard Bickslow wanted you to meet some more of his brothers." Laxus stood, holding a hand out to the silent woman as she gazed up at him.

A smile slowly spread across her face, one that lit up her eyes and made her look younger.

"Yeah. Let's go." Lucy smiled, reaching up to take his hand.

The two busied themselves with cleaning the table and washing their dishes. With the apartment clean, they stepped outside and managed to run into Bickslow and Cobra on the way to the guild. The four of them chatted amongst themselves, passing the time. Lucy felt at peace at the moment, something Cobra had caught onto as he glanced at her as she was talking animatedly with the Seith mage. A hand clipped him on his shoulder, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"You look after her alright? She is still hurting." Laxus took notice of the way Cobra watched his guild mate, as if she was the most important thing to him.

"You don't have to tell me that." Cobra mumbled, pulling himself away from the blond as he walked to catch up to the blonde as she turned to face him.

"Come on Cobra! Catch me!" Lucy giggled as she broke out into a sprint, her hair waving in the wind as she dashed for the guild doors.

A small smile spread across the slayer's face as he took off after the blonde. Yeah, he didn't need to be told to take care of her, he planned on doing that anyway.

 **Sorry if this is short, but I wanted to focus on Lucy coming to terms with what she has done and focus a little on her and Cobra's slowly developing relationship without forcing something else upon them. Next chapter will include Lucy meeting some more of Bickslow's brothers and a surprise some of you are probably not going to expect! Thank you for reading and I hope to see you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

Bickslow had indeed showed her around to his brothers. It seemed he had quite a lot of them, plus two awesome sisters Lucy clicked with immediately. Meeting Vander was the most memorable part of the day. Before a word was spoken, the shadow quip mage had grabbed ahold of the blonde's wrist and pulled her into the Voids. To say the group was scared and a little bit angry was an understatement. Cobra had practically started foaming at the mouth. Laxus would've found the whole situation funny if Lucy wasn't stuck with the sex crazed youngest brother.

"Bicks, where did Vander just take her right now?" Laxus asked as he watched a nearly feral looking Cobra pace just out of view.

"Eh, with Vander, he is probably just talking with her. He's not as bad as you guys think he is." Bickslow shrugged his shoulders before he was grabbed and whipped around to face the slightly (so much) shorter but no less frightening poison slayer.

"Where. Did. He. Take. Her." It wasn't a question.

Bickslow fought back the shiver that ran down his spine as he stared down into Cobra's piercing gaze. The unbridled rage that simmered just below the surface of Cobra's skin almost made him sick. He had never felt like this with anyone before. The amount of worry that was flowing through him had him acting irrational. He had heard everything that the fuckwad of a brother Vander planned on doing with Starshine and he knew that at most she was going to be uncomfortable being in a place she has never been to with someone she had barely met. Yet that didn't stop him from becoming the angry motherfucker that he was currently.

Before anything could get out of hand, Vander appeared with Lucy by his side, the two giggling the children as they sat down at a table next to them. Everyone's jaws dropped at the sight of the two getting along so well.

"Gods _Mea Lux_ , I haven't laughed like that in a long time." The smooth lilt of Vander's voice had the group currently eyeing them relax ever so slightly.

"I'm glad I made you happy, _Obscurus Miles_." Lucy smiled at him, watching as his eyes lit up before he chuckled.

"You certainly do."

By the end of the day, Lucy had met most of the brothers, excluding both Farron and Zen, seeing as how they were both out on some request that their father had sent them out on. The stories the brothers had told the blonde had made her laugh, cry, and come to appreciate Bickslow and his family so much more. The love this family had for each other made her realize that she didn't have one anymore. Her parents being long dead, her old guild nothing but memories, she found herself lonelier than ever. Until she ran into Cobra. Their trip had been nothing but fun and she easily grew attached to the male currently at her side. His silent presence was enough to calm her down and make her happy.

Groaning under her breath, Lucy realized that in the short timespan they had been together, she had grown dependant. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts before Cobra got a chance to pick up on it, she forced herself into the conversation being passed around the table. Cristoff was arguing with Bickslow over some show that Lucy didn't care about, but she jumped in and sided with the lunar slayer, watching as Bickslow seemed to pout for a moment before he jumped back and argued harder.

Cobra watched the entire thing unfold. Sighing under his breath, an unnoticeable smile crossed his face when Lucy turned back to him, her eyes wide in excitement.

"What about you, Cobra?" She asked, her hand reaching out to tug on the sleeve of his shirt.

"I don't even know what you idiots are talking about." He shook his head when Lucy just turned back around and shouted something at Bickslow.

The bunch was surely to get on his nerves, but with Lucy by his side, he would put up with it to see her happy.

The next few days had gone by within the blink of an eye. Lucy and Cobra had both settled into a small apartment downtown, deciding that rooming would save money. Both of them knew it was because they wouldn't be able to spend that much time away from one another. Farron and Zen were supposed to be coming back to the guild today to meet with her, so she dressed to impress. Since she was a little girl, she had heard of Farron. Bosco's ambassador was one of the few people she looked up to growing up. The oldest of the brothers was said to be the tamest of the brothers, never mixing his home life with work and Lucy absolutely adored the man for it. He was everything she dreamed of being when she was younger. A child her father and mother could be proud of, but she fell short of doing so.

Zen was a mystery to her. He was claimed dead and sold into slavery when their country was bombed and raided by the king of Pergrande and his soldiers. Bickslow and all his brothers had apparently heard from an anonymous source that he was being held within the confines of the country in the slave pits and rushed to bring him back home. Everything about him, including his magic was up in the air, but today she was determined to find out all about him. The stories she had heard from his family made her feel like she already knew him, despite never once seeing him.

The sound of Cobra's voice calling up to her from their kitchen pulled her from her thoughts.

"Come on Starshine or we'll be late to meet up with the bunch." He called up, hearing the sound of her cursing and loud thumps on the ceiling before he saw flash of blonde rush by him and out the door.

Blinking back his shock, he bit his lip to keep himself from laughing at her. Pulling her belt off the coat rack at the entrance, he handed it to her as they fell in step beside one another, enjoying the other's company as they strolled to the guild. The sight of the towering building still made them stop for a moment to stare at it before they pulled themselves together and pushed the doors open. As the large group of men came into view, Lucy felt herself being pulled in one direction. Her eyes fell onto one of the most delicious looking males she had ever seen. His dark red colored hair fell well passed his shoulders and his bright golden colored eyes locked onto her immediately. If it weren't for the sudden haze that enveloped her mind she was sure to have been embarrassed by the unabashed look of awe on his face.

As if the entire world around them fell apart, the two easily found their way towards one another. Not a word was spoken as they eyed each other up. The male easily towered over her and made her feel small, not like that was hard, she wasn't tall. His eyes bored into hers, the intensity of his stare making her feel hot. Their lips found each other's within an instant. It was like sparks went off behind her eyelids. His hands were everywhere. Brushing over her hair, down her shoulders, running over her hips, before the stopped at her backside, lifting her up and pulling her closer to him.

They pulled back for air and it was like the world around them was supercharged. The air around them lit up in a golden light and she found herself staring at black wings that sprouted from his back. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment before his lips were back on hers. All thoughts of his wings went out the window as his tongue probed at her lips for entrance. She moaned against him, feeling his hands squeeze her bottom before he nipped at her lips.

Suddenly he was pulled away from her grasp and she felt arms wrap around her waist. The sounds around them soon filtered in and her mind was thrown for a loop as she saw Kaleb and Farron restrain Zen before they were gone in the blink of an eye. The arms around her waist felt familiar and she looked over her shoulder into the angry eye of her roommate.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" His clipped tone made Lucy's already foggy mind hurt worse.

"I think I would do a much better job at that." The sound of her faithful lion spirit popping into existence made her look up.

"Loke? What happened?" Lucy muttered, a hand coming to brush against her forehead. "I feel like I was hit by a bus. And my head is all foggy."

"I know, Princess. Zen is an archangel mage. He is likely the last of his kind. His magic was made to influence that of celestial mages to bring them together. The only way archangel magic was to pass on was through offspring, but only celestial mages could carry a child made between the two. It is likely the pull you are experiencing. The only way for it to go away is for you to be in the archangel's family or if the archangel mage is mated or visa versa." Loke smiled down at his holder, watching as her nose scrunched up in confusion.

"So what you're telling me, is that I will feel the need to fuck Zen until he gets a mate?" Lucy groaned, closing her eyes in exasperation before a cough brought her back from her thoughts.

"Or you get mated, remember there are plenty of guys that would love to get in those pants." Cobra waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, watching as she flushed red before shoving him in the shoulder.

"Yeah yeah, says you. And let me down!" Lucy hit him upside the head, pouting as he just chuckled, but did as she asked and set her down on the ground.

Now back on the ground, she felt a little better, the fog in her head clearing now that she wasn't swaying in someone's hold.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but being in a simple relationship wouldn't stop the pull. It would need to be magically induced. I am not sure of other mages that mate for life except for dragon slayers, archangel mages, and seith mages." Loke added, watching as Lucy's face fell once again.

"You mean I can't even have a normal relationship with someone now?" Lucy cried, her hands coming up to pull at her hair.

"I'm sorry Princess, but there is no way around this." Loke muttered, frowning as Lucy just groaned before turning away from him and planting herself down in a chair.

"Just great, now my life is ruined. There aren't many celestial mages left in the world either and I know for a fact there aren't any in Bosco. Yukino is mated to Sting, I have no idea where Angel is and Princess Hisui isn't practicing anymore. No mage will want to tie themselves to me permanently and now I'm stuck with a burning need to bed Zen. Can this get any worse?" Lucy moaned into her hands, not noticing the way Cobra glanced down towards her.

A sudden thought crossed his mind, but he wasn't sure if now was a good idea to bring it up. If he mated with her, she wouldn't have to deal with the urges anymore. Yes it would royally fuck him over for life and all he would want to sleep with would be her, but if she got to live her life, then he could overlook the long suspended case of blue balls. Taking one more look at Lucy as she slumped against the table, he made up his mind.

"Mate with me." He spoke up, dead serious.

Lucy's head snapped up to meet his gaze. Her chocolate colored eyes bored into his, his single indigo eye never once leaving hers. The look on his face as he stared at her had heat rushing to her cheeks, he was being serious.

"Cobra you can't just think mating with you would help things, then I would be tied to you." Lucy argued, watching as the look on his face fell and something else replaced it for a second before he brought back the typical smirk.

"Of course it would help, you'd be bound to me." Cobra grinned, watching as Lucy flushed red before she smacked him upside the head.

"Idiot! Don't go saying things like that!" Lucy screeched, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she smacked him.

' _Don't say things you don't mean.'_ Lucy thought to herself absentmindedly, not noticing the look that crossed across Cobra's face.

He heard that. It was inevitable. She didn't even try to hide that one. It rang loud and clear in his head as he chuckled. The pout on her face was adorable and he found himself fighting back the urge to brush some of her hair out of her face to see more of her flushed cheeks. The down curve of her lips made them look fuller as she crossed her arms under her breasts. His throat suddenly dry, he looked away and licked at his lips, glancing around the guildhall before his eyes fell on a large fountain. Glancing up at the lion spirit who was still there, he took notice of the knowing look in his eye and glared at him before he stood up and told the blonde he was heading off to get a drink before he disappeared into crowd.

Lucy frowned as his backside was lost amongst the mass of mages. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rested her head on her knees as she gazed down at the lit candle on the table. The flames flickered every now and again, dancing and swaying in the air. Lucy stared at the flame for a long while, long enough for Cobra to come back and place himself back at her side as he drank from his glass of water. The two sat in silence, Cobra noticing that she didn't want to talk currently and sat at her side to keep her company. Their evening was filled with the mindless chatter of the guild well into the night before they felt it was time to head back to their apartment to go to bed, the day's events taking their toll on both of them.

 **Tadah! Another chapter down and one more closer to the end. This story is coming to a close soon, but I wanted to throw another twist in there that didn't include something horrible happening to them, just a minor issue Cobra can fix with a bit of magic, eh? Thank you for reading and please comment! Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

The two roomates danced around each other for days, Lucy too embarrassed to be near the slayer, and Cobra giving her the space she needed to sort out her thoughts. The curveball he had thrown her, he thinks back upon, might have been a little rushed and not fully thought out. He knew that dragons mated to whoever they wanted, it wasn't destiny that pulled them to one another. He knew that was passed down from dragon to slayer, even if the slayer wasn't trained by said beast. He knew this for multiple reasons. The blonde slayer, Laxus, was mated to a female, he hadn't the slightest clue who, but he had read about it in a newspaper a good few months before the disbandment of Fairy Tail took place.

If that wasn't enough to lead him to this conclusion, then the dragon's soul that resided inside his being definitely did. The lizard was silent for the most part, really only speaking up when he came across a potential mate. None so far had really captured his dragon's attention, until Lucy that was. His dragon had nearly purred with delight when he first laid eyes on her. Well over nine years ago. He remembered how scared she looked when they had kidnapped her, hell bent on sacrificing her for something they themselves didn't really understand. All they knew was that Brain was adamant on this working, and promised hell if it didn't. The look of terror in her eyes had him feeling oddly at war with himself. He loved to bring that look himself, but with her it felt wrong, made his very core sick at the thought of her being afraid of him.

At the time, he didn't understand. He wasn't aware of the capabilities of his magic. He had all the time in the world to read up on it when he was in prison though. He was grateful for Mest, the mage allowed him to read up on his magic and supplied him with enough books to keep him occupied as he sat alone in his cell and rotted away. When he read up on the mating and courting rituals that dragons underwent, he realized just what the blonde had meant to him. Yet this didn't stop him from following along with Midnight's plan to sacrifice her yet again. He had been Cobra's best friend longer than he could remember. He trusted the mage with his life, and it had torn him up inside to watch his mate wither away right before his eye, but there wasn't much he could do. He was almost pleased that Fairy Tail had won that day, getting to see the cascading lights shining overhead where he lay on the ground a comfort that she was still alive and well.

When he was hauled back to prison, he went peacefully. Something the Rune Knights took notice of as he simply raised his hands in the air and knelt down for them to place the magic cancelling cuffs around his wrists. He had heard all about the war with Tartaros and how Fairy Tail had almost lost, the blonde managing to save the day, yet no one knew how. She didn't share anything with Jason as he interviewed her, answering each question cryptically and even with her own questions. In the end, no one knew anything besides she now walked with a slight limp. Cobra noticed that as soon as she had come into view when she was being dragged behind the guards that locked her into her cell. He hadn't brought it up, nor did she, so he left it alone.

Their dancing around each other came to a close when Lucy had broke down in front of his door, the sound of her sobs shaking him to his very soul. He pulled her into his arms and comforted her until she stopped crying and shaking. They had patched things up afterward, the offer still hanging in the air despite it all, he had made sure of that. He wanted her to realize that he didn't just say that in a spur of the moment, but truly wanted to help in any way he could.

Their first trip back to the guild was filled with silence. They needed to go on a mission to pay for food and they planned on it being a rather long one. Lucy didn't want to hang around somewhere she couldn't even act herself and Cobra easily caved when she pouted. Making her promise to stay right outside, Cobra went in to look for a mission the two could do that took about a month. Finding one that sent them all the way to Altair, capital of Stella, he tore it off the large wall of requests and read over it a couple times, grinning when he saw the reward.

' _Oh she's gonna love this.'_ Cobra tucked the request into his pocket before meandering his way back outside, managing to avoid everyone inside.

Walking back outside, he was met with the wide eyes of his partner. Her mouth was curved upwards in a grin when he held up the request, watching as she scanned over the paper before her mouth fell open as she read the reward.

"Gate keys?" Lucy asked, watching as Cobra just shrugged his shoulders, placing the paper back in his pocket.

"It's got jewels too, but I figured you would like some more friends to add to that keyring." Cobra chuckled when Lucy bounced on her heels, nodding her head in agreement.

The two settled on taking the train, despite the mode of transportation making Cobra sick, they wanted to be there before nightfall and only a train could make that happen. Buying tickets to the neighboring country was a hassle and they were checked multiple times by security to make sure they weren't smuggling things inside. Lucy was almost detained when they pulled her whip from her belt and if it weren't for the request Cobra shoved in their faces, along with them flashing their guildmarks, he was sure she would've been arrested here too. Flopping down into their private compartment, they sighed in relief. Lucy's shoulders were stiff and she was sure to have bruises around her wrist where the security man had grabbed her.

Fingering the red welts softly, she hissed when she prodded a little too roughly. Cobra glanced up from staring at his lap to see the mark on her wrist. Growling lowly, he stood up despite his rolling stomach and made his way towards her. Taking a seat next to her, he took her hand in his and sniffed the welt. He could still smell the man's scent on her skin and that made his dragon roar with anger. Before he could realize what he was doing, he had her hand poised beneath his mouth, his tongue rolling over her bruise with ease. A strangled moan left her lips, making Cobra glance up to meet her wide eyes. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line and her cheeks were stained a deep red.

He sniffed the air once more, taking in her scent. The smell the man had left on her was gone and replaced by himself. His dragon seemed to settle down at that, once again curling into a ball to rest quietly until something else riled it up. Sighing, he sat back, his hand not letting hers go and he closed his eye, relaxing ever so slightly as the train rocked. Lucy glanced back at him, taking notice of just how uncomfortable he looked. Frowning at the thought of him being in pain, Lucy tugged on his hand, watching as he cracked his eye open to look at her, his eyebrow raised in question. She said nothing as she led him to lay across her lap, his head resting underneath her breasts. Her fingers found themselves in his hair, her nails raking across his scalp. A purr rumbled from within his chest, making Lucy pause. The whine that fell from his lips when her hands pulled away made her face flush.

Cobra's eye slid closed once her fingers brushed through his hair once more. Lucy took the time to really look at him. The slight downturn to his thin lips showed her how the train ride was affecting him. Small tufts of his hair stuck to his face that was paler than usual and slick with sweat. A crease formed in his brow when the train jerked a little rougher towards the side when they flew around a curve. His lips slipped open as he gasped for breath as the entire cart shook and his eye flew open when Lucy's hands roamed from his hair down to his neck. She continued her ministrations, the feeling of her nails scraping against his heated skin making a shiver creep up his spine. Her sinful hands were a good distraction from the rolling of his stomach.

Another purr rumbled within his chest and if he were with anyone else, they wouldn't have been alive to ask about it. Lucy didn't seem all too fazed by the noise and he wasn't about to complain when her fingers brushed against his ear. A moan slipped past his lips, making the blonde beneath him pause. Almost hesitantly, she brushed over his ear once more, a wicked grin splitting across her face when another moan, this time quieter, but still a moan barreled out his mouth.

"Does this feel good, Cobra?" Lucy watched as he licked at his lips before nodding his head, his eye sliding closed once more when her finger passed over his ear for the third time.

"I had no idea your ears were this sensitive. Do you want me to stop?" Lucy asked, her grin still in place when he shook his head roughly, his eye cracking open to glance up at her.

It was difficult to meet her eyes when her breasts were right in front of him, but he managed to meet her gaze. His breathing sped up when he took notice of the slight flush to her cheeks and the small upturn of her lips as she stared down at him as her fingers continued to run over his skin. Sparks were left in her wake, his skin alive and tingling where her hands had touched as they trailed over his cheeks and down his neck to his shirt. She kept her hands above the article of clothing, despite how easy it would've been to delve underneath and continue on her path south, she knew she was still in a train and wasn't about to get into something that private on a public mode of transportation. Perhaps when they found a hotel in Altair, but she was determined to make him feel better currently.

Cobra whined again when her hands pulled away and was about to seek out her warmth once more before her hand came down and held him away from herself. He plopped back down on her lap, pouting as he glared up at her halfheartedly. His blood was boiling and she was just going to leave him there to suffer alone. As if she had read his mind, her hand was once again in his hair and raking over his scalp. Lucy giggled quietly when he began to purr again, the sound oddly charming coming from the much larger slayer lying over her lap.

The rest of the ride was rather uneventful, Cobra had drifted off to sleep soon after Lucy had settled down, her hands still running through his hair. Lucy didn't sleep herself, but zoned out for the entirety of the trip, her mind wandering as she was stuck in her seat. The loudspeaker announcing their arrival had woken the slayer up and Lucy found that he was rather grumpy waking up from what he called, his 'beauty sleep' not that he needed sleep to make him look good. It was nearing nightfall when the train pulled into the station, and the duo immediately set off to look for an inn to stay at. Finding one not too far from the main part of the city for a relatively cheap price, they got a room and dropped their stuff off inside before making their way around to look for a place to eat before their stomachs decided to eat itselves.

Coming across a small dive bar, the decided that that was their best bet and made their way inside. Not too many people were there and there were plenty of empty tables that they could sit at. Cobra found one that overlooked the entire joint, placing himself down so he could look out over the entire place. Lucy found it odd how on edge he was about this but said nothing about it as she sat down across from him. The waitress came and took their drinks before handing them a menu so they could look over their choices.

"This request is a simple recon mission. The King wants us to scope out a rising dark guild that resides somewhere in the forest just out of the city limits. He doesn't want us attacking unless provoked. I think meeting up with him tomorrow morning is a good idea, see if there is anymore information on the location or anything else that may help us in tracking it down." Cobra kept his voice down, watching as Lucy nodded her head in agreement.

"I'll keep Sagittarius on speed dial just in case anything goes south. Loke might come in handy too. When we find out more tomorrow I'll be able to come up with a better plan but for now those two will do fine. Your magic will definitely come in handy too, you'll be able to pick up their scent as well as hear what's going on. You did a good job picking our first mission." Lucy smiled at him.

Cobra grinned, meeting her eye before his gaze was pulled away from hers towards something she couldn't see behind her. His grin fell from his face almost immediately and a snarl curled his lip. Lucy opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but froze momentarily when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Her eyes hardening into a glare, she turned around to tell the person off, but her voice died in her throat when she turned and got a face full of muscle.

The male was easily taller than the both of them, the sheer size of him making Lucy feel like an ant. Despite her uncomfort, she glared up at him, a frown marring her face as she spoke.

"What do you want?" She bit out, watching as the male just grinned down at her, the look in his eye making the blonde feel slimy.

"How about you ditch that puny excuse of a man and come hang out with me and my friends?" The male pointed to a small group of men sitting at the bar.

Lucy spared the group a glance, taking notice of how all of them were currently watching them before she looked back up to the male still towering over her.

"How about you go back to your friends before I make you." Lucy hissed, turning away from him as she pulled herself out of his hold and sat back down in her chair.

The man didn't leave like she hoped he would. In fact he seemed even more interested in her now that she had turned him down.

"Come on Puddin', come with me and I can show you a good time." His voice was starting to get on her nerves.

Before anyone could process what had happened, Lucy stood from her chair and swiftly kicked the man in the head, sending his body flying across the bar and into a wall. A few of his male friends at the bar seemed worried for him before they rounded on her. Now that they were closer, Lucy got a chance to see just how big they were too. Each of them stood at least a head taller than her, but all of them easily had twice the muscle she did. Cobra was completely silent as he watched from his seat as Lucy turned her glare onto the group of males, completely aware that she could handle this herself.

"Now that wasn't very nice little girl. Someone should teach you some manners." One of the men growled.

"How about I teach all of you why you don't mess with a capable mage?" Lucy flashed them a fake smile before all of them were lying on the ground.

Lucy stood over all of them as they groaned from their spots on the ground. There was a look on her face that Cobra hadn't seen before. Her lip was curled up in a scowl, her eyes cold as she glared down at them. Her foot came up to rest against one of the males faces. A loud screech pierced the air as she applied pressure to his head, watching as he squirmed on the ground.

"You boys don't listen, I think you deserve to be punished." A wicked grin spread across Lucy's face, and with a snap, one of her spirits was beside her.

The maid stared down at the men with a blank look on her face. She turned to her holder with a bow before she along with the group of men were gone. With a sigh, Lucy had placed herself back into her chair. Cobra eyed the blonde for a moment, watching as she rolled her shoulder before grumbling under her breath.

"Where did your spirit take them?" He asked after she had settled down.

"I have no idea where she takes them. All I know is that they end up with the Rune Knights in about three hours, beaten and bloody." Lucy shrugged her shoulders, watching as the waitress came walking back up to their table to take their order.

Cobra felt a chill go down his spine. The blonde across from him had changed the short amount of time he had known her. His first run in with the blonde years ago, still fresh on his mind despite it being more than eight years ago.

 _He wanted to kill them. Macbeth was grating on his last nerve about how tired he was. It wasn't like he wanted to be out doing this either. But Brain's orders were clear. FInd the sky maiden and bring her back to him. Running into the large group was not something they had planned but it was unavoidable when they found the small bluenette crouched down behind a rock, tagging along with the group. Taking her was easy when everyone was down for the count and the group was well on their way back to Brain where he was waiting. Just as they left the clearing, a flash of blonde caught his attention and his eyes snapped over to see a girl no older than 17 lying face down in the dirt._

 _The trip back to their hideout, his thoughts were centered on the blonde. At the time he wrote it off as a simple attraction to her, the girl was drop dead gorgeous with her shapely body and beautiful features. Looking back on it now, however, he could tell that was when his feelings for her had developed. At first it was a simple curiosity, he had heard of her selfless nature and he wanted to see what she was like for himself. Yet luck was not on his side and he hadn't run into her at all during that time. In prison he had time to reflect on what occurred and he found himself hating her, despite the obvious attraction he felt towards her. Breaking out wasn't his plan, but when he heard what Macbeth wanted to do, he was on board. He got to be around the blonde as well as watch her disappear. When the time came however, he found himself hating it. He was glad they had lost that day and the blonde was safe with her family once more._

 _Going back to jail was easy, he didn't want to put up a fight anymore. He was able to gather his thoughts on the blonde as he was locked up, then the war with the dragons and Tartaros happened then the disbandment of Fairy Tail, it was likely he would never see her again. Her being arrested was a surprise but it brought her to him and he would be damned if he let her get away from him again._

Dinner was eaten in silence, both of them too distracted to fill the void with mindless chatter. They paid and made their way back to the hotel, ready to call it a day and prepare for the long days they had ahead of them. Lucy showered first, the sound of her humming lulling Cobra into a light slumber until she woke him up by gently shaking his shoulder, telling him the shower was free to use. He had to bite back a moan as her scent washed over him as she pressed into his personal space. Her hair was wet and dripping, her skin still damp from her own shower. She smelled absolutely wonderful. Breathing in her scent, he nodded his head before he stood and made his way into their shared bathroom before closing the door and cleaning up himself.

Lucy crawled into bed, listening to the running of the water as she drifted off to sleep. The sound of the water cutting off broke her from her sleep induced haze and whatever fatigue she was feeling flew out the window when the male came out of the bathroom with nothing on but pajama pants. His tanned skin made her mouth water, he looked like a caramel candy.

"Go to sleep, Starshine. We are both too tired for anything like that." Came his curt response and he flopped down onto his bed beside hers.

Shutting off the bedside lamp, the room was bathed in darkness. Yet Lucy wasn't tired. Being so close to the slayer had her nerves coming alive, sending pleasant shivers all down her body. A soft groan came from the male as he scented the room.

"Please woman, just go to sleep, you're killing me over here." He muttered weakly, his form shifting on the bed towards her.

Lucy could just barely make out his figure lying in the bed next to hers. She could however, see the gleam in his eye as the dim lights from outside reflected off the beautiful color, making it seem to glow amongst the darkness.

"I can't sleep being this close to you." Lucy whispered, her voice loud in the quiet room.

She heard him shift once more, the sound of the springs squeaking in the bed, but couldn't see him. That was until she felt the dip in her bed and a body joining hers under the covers. His hands found her waist and pulled her towards his still uncovered chest, her head coming into contact with his skin.

"If this is supposed to help me sleep, you're doing it wrong." She giggled despite the embarrassment she felt at the moment.

"Just relax, listen to my breathing and try to match yours to it." Cobra forced her to lie back down, her head placed back over his heart.

Lucy sat there in silence, the steady thumping of his heart settling her nerves. Cobra listened to her breath as it evened out as she fell asleep. Pulling the blonde a little bit closer to himself, he buried his nose into her hair and breathed in her scent. Finding comfort in her embrace, Cobra drifted off to sleep, holding the girl in his arms as close to him as he could get her.


	7. Chapter 7

***The rating from here on out will be M for there are some adult situations in this chapter and most likely the next. I couldn't help myself. Thank you for reading!***

Lucy woke up before Cobra had. Deciding that she didn't want to disturb him while he was sleeping, she got dressed as quietly as possible. Thanking Virgo for the change of clothes she provided, she set aside the outfit the spirit brought for her partner, writing a note to him about where she was going before setting both the note and his clothes out on the nightstand next to him. Smiling down at the slumbering face of her partner, she bent down to place a soft kiss to his forehead before she pulled away and slipped out of the hotel room.

She had a few more hours before she and Cobra both had to meet up with the King so she settled on stopping off at a small place to get breakfast. Fingering her keys that rested against her hip, she felt them warm up to her touch as she brushed against them fondly. Walking along the mostly empty streets brought memories to the surface, mostly of her previous life. Her morning stroll to Fairy Tail, enjoying the warm weather as she passed the people who lived there and greeted her kindly. The kids she would see everyday playing soccer together. She loved children and hoped that she would be lucky enough to meet someone to have them with.

A brief image of untameable maroon colored locks, a piercing indigo eye and a matching smirk to boot crossed her mind before she shut that down. No way he would even begin to see her like that, he teased her immensely about everything. Yet she couldn't stop herself from picturing a beautiful little girl with blonde hair tied in pigtails and bright purple eyes, smiling up at her with little fangs protruding from her mouth. The picture brought tears to Lucy's eyes, their girl would be beautiful.

Wiping the tears out of her eyes Lucy quickly found a small cafe. Settling down at a table, Lucy called over a waitress who was idly cleaning the countertop. The waitress smiled at Lucy, scurrying over with a menu and introducing herself. Lucy scanned the menu, settling on a small cup of coffee and a banana nut muffin. The waitress took the menu back before hurrying back to gather her order together.

Lucy sat in silence, watching out the window she sat next to as more and more people wandered about. A few of them stopped in the cafe, sitting down and filling the place with mindless chatter. The blonde found the noise to be rather relaxing and slumped in her seat, enjoying her morning alone. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor caught her attention and she looked away from the window to see a man sitting himself across from her.

She had never met the man before. His red hair stuck up in spikes and his lip curled into a smirk as he eyed her up from across the table. Warning bells went off in her head as he turned away from her momentarily to call the waitress over once more. The woman seemed unsettled by his appearance and hesitantly made her way over.

"How's about you get me a coffee and something equally as delicious as the lady across from me, huh?" The man's voice made Lucy tense up, her hand slipping under the table to brush her fingers against her keys.

The waitress seemed uncomfortable, but did as acked, sending Lucy a worried glance as she walked away. With the woman gone, the man turned back to her, his smirk still in place as his gaze raked over her once more before he settled back to looking her in the eye. Lucy suppressed an eye roll at the sudden curvature of his smirk suggested more than just a simple meeting.

"What's something as wonderful as you doin' in a place like this?" His accent was thick, making him a little difficult to understand, but Lucy had been around many different people in her life.

Ignoring the disgust that made her stomach roll, she offered the man a forced smile. "My partner and I are here on a job request sent by the King, now if you don't mind, I best be on my way."

The man seemed to change almost immediately. His smirk fell, and a scowl took its place. His green eyes narrowed on her and made her shiver as he snarled at her. Lucy made an effort to stand up and move away, but his hand was suddenly on her wrist, tugging her back into her chair. Lucy squirmed as he leaned in towards her, his lips brushing the shell of her ear as he whispered.

"You are going to sit here and pretend you are having a good time with me. When we finish our food, you are going to leave the money for the bill and you will follow me out back." His voice dropped several octaves as his warm breath tickled her neck.

The man pulled back from her, his hand leaving her wrist and his smirk back in place just in time for the waitress to come back. The woman placed their cups down, leaving Lucy her muffin and the man with a small slice of cheesecake before she bowed and left. The man eyed Lucy throughout their entire meal, settling on her breasts more than once as his gaze drifted downward.

Sighing to herself, she almost regret leaving the hotel room. Sparing a look back out the window, she scanned the street for a familiar face. Frowning at the lack of red hair she was pulled from her thoughts when a hand clamped down on her wrist once more. Turning her attention back to the potentially dangerous man in front of her, she glanced down to his hand over hers, taking notice of a weird mark on his wrist as he pulled his hand away once more.

"You keep your eyes on me Sugartits. No need to attract unwanted attention, hmm?" He hissed.

Lucy rolled her eyes, but complied. No longer worried about looking out the window, she settled for glaring at her empty plate. The man sipped at his coffee watching the angered woman as she huffed. Finishing his cake, he wiped his mouth before turning a pointed look back on her. Lucy felt his gaze and looked up to see him sitting there, his hands crossed as he waited. Raising an eyebrow, he motioned towards his empty plate before standing. Frowning once more, Lucy fished out her wallet and placed a wad of jewels on the table, hoping that this would be more than enough to cover the bill and give the waitress a handsome tip.

Mumbling under her breath, Lucy let the man lead her out of the cafe and into an alleyway to avoid weird looks. Lucy had to bite her lip to keep herself from groaning in pain as he tugged on her arm just a bit too roughly. The sound of street chatter faded the further he led them and Lucy soon realized that he was taking them into the forest. Growing a little fearful, she tugged slightly against his hold on her wrist. The man paused in his pace, turning back to look at her as she bowed her head to avoid his gaze. A finger placed itself under her chin, forcing her to tilt her head up to meet his gaze head on. The smirk on his face spoke of untold horrors. Lucy had to say, if in a different situation, she would've found the man attractive. His red hair was a few shades darker than a rose, his eyes a beautiful emerald green. His lips, while making her knees weak, would've made them weak for a different reason.

The sound of crickets and birds she hadn't realized had accompanied them suddenly stopped and a loud roar echoed around them. Snapping twigs and the rustling of trees and bushes startled the two and the man pulled her out in front of him, his arms around neck to protect himself should anything attack them. Lucy squirmed in his hold, her arms coming up to dig her nails into his forearms to pull them away from her neck. The man hissed in pain and slapped her upside the head, making her vision swim momentarily. Another roar echoed around them and a figure stepped into view.

A grin spread across Lucy's face at the familiar eye that landed on her instantly. Melting a little in the tight hold around her neck, Lucy could feel the man tense up as Cobra stalked closer. Cobra's normally playful expression was long gone, in replace of it was a fierce look that made Lucy's fears melt away.

"What do you think you're doing with Starshine?" Cobra's eye narrowed on the man, a cruel smirk spreading across his face when the man gulped loudly.

"I ain't got any beef with you man, step off." The man's arm tightened to the point where it made Lucy uncomfortable.

Lucy dug her fingernails into the skin of his forearm once more before he backhanded her again.

"Stop squirming bitch!" The man shouted.

Lucy blinked a couple times to force the small black dots in her vision to fade. Growling caught her attention and once she could see clearly, she found a pissed off Cobra stalking closer towards them. His hands curled into fists and Lucy could feel the magical pressure begin to build up in the air around them. Her eyes met with his for a split second and Lucy bent her neck to bury her nose and mouth into the crook of the man's arm just seconds before Cobra let loose one of his roars. Once the man slumped to the ground, Lucy quickly covered her mouth and nose with her own arm to keep the residual poison lingering in the air from getting into her airways.

Before she could thank him, Cobra had her swooped up into his arms and his nose buried into her hair. A soft whimper sounded from him, making Lucy pause as his arms tightened around her waist. Lucy relaxed into him, her hand coming up to play with his hair as he snuggled into hers. A soft purr escaped him and he nuzzled against her neck once before he pulled away and glared down at the man still lying at their feet.

"What did you do to him?" Lucy asked after a moments silence.

"He's asleep, I ain't killing him when he can rot in a cell for the rest of his life, that seems a far better punishment for him." Cobra delivered a swift kick to his ribs before he turned back to Lucy. "You think you can call out your spirit and have her tie him up? We can take him into town and deliver him to the authorities."

Lucy smiled up at him and nodded her head. Pulling out Virgo's key, she summoned her spirit and the Maiden did just as expected. Within seconds, the man was wrapped with magic canceling cuffs and tied with rope to keep him from hurting anyone. Lucy thanked her spirit before she disappeared with a promise to make them dinner tonight. Cobra threw the man over his shoulder and they set off for the city, hoping to find someone capable of locking him away. Finding the authorities wasn't too hard and they handed over the criminal to a few guards before making their way out and towards the King's castle. It was almost time to meet up with him and they didn't want to be late for their first job together.

Coming upon the castle, Lucy felt a chill go down her spine as she walked up to the large cement walls lined with barbed wire at the top. If she wasn't sure that this was the castle, she would've thought she was about to enter a prison. Ringing the buzzer just outside of the gate, she waited patiently for someone to pick up. The sight of an elder man showed up on the screen and he kindly asked them what they were doing here. Lucy flashed the man her guild mark along with Cobra and introduced themselves.

"Hello sir, my name is Lucy and my partner here is Cobra, we are the mages sent from White Sea for the request the King sent out?" Lucy smiled at the man in the screen, watching as he eyed her mark before nodding his head and letting them in.

The large gate slowly opened to allow the two of them inside and they began their journey down the long pathway to the entrance to the castle. Within five minutes, they were at the main door and Cobra knocked on the heavy wood. The man from the screen opened the door immediately and let them in. Lucy smiled at the man as he led them inside and into a small sitting room. He told them that he was going to fetch the King and that they would be back shortly. Lucy just smiled at the man once more before sitting down next to her companion.

Finding the time to look around the room, she was mildly impressed with the decor. It screamed elegance, but not overwhelmingly so. The three couches were the center of attention, lined in red velvet. A fireplace sat in front of them, lit to warm the room up. The mantle was lined with gold, accenting the marble that shimmered in the warm light of the flame. Bookshelves lined the walls, each of them fully stocked with hard and soft backs alike. A coffee table made of wood and glass sat in front of the fireplace, with a few magazines and coasters to keep the glass clean.

The sound of the door swinging open pulled her attention from the room to a man of short stature. He wore an elaborate coat lined in white fur. The velvet matched the couch and Lucy had to stifle a giggle at the crown he wore on his head. It looked exactly how you expected a crown to look, gold plated and lined with red and white fur. Coughing into her arm to hide her grin, she watched as the King took a seat before sending the butler away.

"Thank you for taking up this request, the guild has become quite troubling as of late and we really needed to monitor their growth before we can do anything to get them taken out." The King nodded his head in Lucy's direction, a small smile on his face as he spoke.

"Of course. We were told this was a simple recon mission, is there any rules we should know about before we head off, or anything that may help us track them?" Lucy watched as the King paused for a moment before he nodded his head slowly.

"I don't want this getting out to the public, they know little of the guild and I don't want them worrying about something that doesn't concern them. If you can avoid confrontation with them, I suggest keeping clear of that, I don't want to cause a ruckus." Lucy nodded absentmindedly.

"I also want you to monitor them overtime, stick around for a few weeks to understand their schedule. If I can predict their moves, it may be easier to get them arrested." The King looked back up from his lap, watching as Lucy nodded once more before she spoke up.

"I think it may be of use to get one of us inside and interact with them one on one, we may be able to find more information on them that way." Lucy watched as the King grew a little uneasy about that. "I can assure you that once inside, the information we gather will come straight to you."

"If you think that is the best method, than I am all for it. Just be careful, I don't know much about them nor do I know how they accept new members. Will this inflict with your current affiliation to a light guild?" Lucy paused at that, contemplating that for a moment before shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter if it does, this is the easiest way to understand what's going on and I am willing to take the risk." Lucy was interrupted by a grunt of disapproval from her side.

"Like hell I'm gonna let you do this, I'll go and get inside. I'll be able to blend in better there anyway." Cobra grumbled under his breath, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes, I like his idea more." The King agreed, worried for the wellbeing of the female in the dark guild.

"While I appreciate the offer, Cobra, I feel as if you going in there will only frighten them. If I were to go, a little girl such as myself would attract their attention much easier." Lucy watched as Cobra's eye narrowed on her for a moment before he huffed and turned away from her.

' _Did I offend him?'_ Lucy thought to herself, watching as he slumped further in the couch.

"Anyway, sir. If there is anything you know about them, marks or a location on which I can find them, please tell me, it would help immensely." Lucy smiled at him once more, watching as he thought for a moment before he spoke up.

"They are to the north of the city, in the mountains. Their guild mark looks somewhat like a phoenix except not red, black." Lucy froze for a moment, the man from yesterday filtering into her mind for a moment.

' _That man had a bird on his wrist. Could he have been apart of their guild? This isn't good.'_ Lucy just smiled at the man and stood, ready to depart so they could come up with a plan.

The King led them out of the castle, waving goodbye to them as they walked down the pathway towards the gate. They walked in silence all the way to their hotel room, deep in thought as they passed citizens on the streets. Once inside the room, Cobra turned on her, a scowl on his face as he looked down at her.

"You aren't going in there, I won't be able to help without giving away our position." Cobra watched as Lucy flinched, her hand coming up to push him away.

"I know you don't like this, but it is the best option. You'll be outside, hiding in the trees, keeping tabs on me as well as anybody who leaves. I'll be inside gathering information from those who are apart of the guild." Lucy watched as his scowl fell into a frown, his brow furrowed in concern.

"What if something happens to you? I won't be able to stop anything." He muttered, a hand coming up to rest against her cheek.

Lucy's train of thought flew out of her mind as he brushed a thumb against her cheek. The look in his eye soft as he gazed down at her. He bent down slightly, leaning his forehead against hers as he closed his eye and sighed loudly. When he pulled away his frown was gone, in its place a soft smile. Lucy felt a blush rise to her cheeks, her heart hammering away in her chest when he nuzzled the side of her face before pulling away.

"I guess all I can do now is leave it up to you, you can handle this." He smiled down at her before he pulled away fully, turning to head further into their room and plopped himself down on his bed, turning towards the t.v. and turning it on.

Lucy stood frozen at the door, her hand clenched into a fist in front of her chest as she tried to control the fast beating of her heart. Never had she felt this way before. Her knees felt weak and her breathing came out in quick pants. Her face aflame, she stiffly made her way to the bathroom, dead set on locking herself in there until she got over whatever sent her into this flurry of emotion.

As she locked the door behind her, Cobra let the breath out of his mouth he was holding. A light tint to his cheeks rose up to the surface as he mindlessly rubbed his forehead with his hand. He had no clue what had come over him in that moment and it worried him. He glanced back at the bathroom door where he could hear the water running and allowed himself to relax as the scent of her shampoo filtered through the air.

' _Lavender...Gods she smells so good…'_ Cobra purred in delight.

Leaning back against the headboard, he tuned out the t.v. as his thoughts took a sharp turn. Bright brown eyes stared up at him as her hands roamed across the expanse of his chest, the softness a sharp contrast from his own callused ones that found their spot at her hips. She arched up against him, her hands clenched into fists against his chest as he bent down and bit at her neck with his fangs, a rumble slipping past his lips as she moaned. Tilting her head back to him, his eye raked over her flushed form as she laid out beneath him as he rocked into her core that tightened so sweetly around him. Her lips formed into an o shape, screaming out her release as he slammed into her.

Glancing back towards the bathroom door, he listened for her, hearing how her breath quickened and little moans tumbled from her lips. Her scent had changed ever so slightly, a spicy twinge to it now. Growling, he felt himself stiffen at the intrusive images that flowed through her.

Lucy moaned, her fingers making quick work of herself as she stood in the shower. Her mind was plagued by the thoughts of the slayer sitting out in the room. She worried momentarily that he could hear her, but remembering that he was watching t.v. on the lacrima, she pushed away that nagging feeling and allowed herself to enjoy the time alone. Picturing that her hands were in fact his was relatively easy, he touched her not too long ago and she could vividly remember the calluses that had built up over time, most likely an effect from living in the tower for so long. Her thoughts turned sour for a moment, how could someone treat a kid that way?

Ignoring her anger for the moment, she thought of how he touched her earlier. His soft caresses, the warm look in his eye. He looked to be in love. If Lucy didn't know any better, she would've thought that was the case, but she knew for a fact he wouldn't feel that way about her. Shaking her head to dispel the depressing thoughts that would kill her high, she threw herself into a fantasy.

His hands gripped her hips tightly, rubbing circles over bruises that she knew was from earlier, she moaned as he bit into her, his fangs buried deep in her breast as he licked away blood. The twinge of pain made her all the more aware of her ache for him. He dislodged from her breast, lapping at the blood he drew and his eye rose to meet hers. The heated desire that she could plainly see in its depths. He crawled up her body, planting kisses and little nips at her collarbones as he slid upward. His mouth met with hers, tilting her head up to better access her as he ground against her.

Lucy pulled away with a moan, her face flushed in a post-coital hue. Glad that they were still naked, she groaned as he slipped into her heat, a growl meeting her ears as he buried his face into her neck. She felt his lips nip at her once more before he buried his fangs into her, snarling as he set a brutal pace. This was nothing like it had been earlier, he was rough and demanding with her this time around and she was loving it. Her hands worked her over, nearing her end as her fantasy played out in her mind. If she wasn't so into it herself, she might've heard the loud roar from outside the bathroom, Cobra was enjoying himself too.

Cobra gripped himself tighter as Lucy's fantasy rolled along, he couldn't believe just how erotic the thought of this was. Not once in his life did someone else's desire make him lose control like it was making him now. It took all his strength to keep himself in his bed let alone keep him away from the blonde getting herself off to him in the bathroom. Growling out his release, he found himself alone in the large room. Lucy's scent still wafted around him, making him wish she was there with him to take in the scent. Cleaning away any evidence of his mess, he tossed the tissue into a bedside garbage, listening for the water to be cut off as she stepped out of the shower to towel off.

Not meeting her eye when she walked out, he brushed past her into the bathroom to take up her spot in the bath. He felt sticky and sweaty and he really didn't want to sleep in his own filth. Lucy sighed as she placed herself into her bed, turning off the t.v. and lamp by her bedside, she relaxed against the cool sheets as the sound of the running water lulled her to sleep. When Cobra slipped out of the bathroom, he found his partner passed out in her bed, her soft snores filling the otherwise silent room.

Smiling down at her slumbering form, Cobra bent over her edge of the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. Wishing her sweet dreams he took up his own bed and fell into a relatively deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Lucy woke before her partner once more. Taking in his sleeping form splayed out on his bed next to hers, she decided against getting breakfast on her own, she still needed to run down the plan once more to make sure there wasn't any cracks in it. Sighing to herself, she jumped in the shower to rinse of and change into a set of clothes for today. Thanking Virgo when she handed her a change of clothes, Lucy glanced over the outfit. Fighting back a groan at the choice her spirit came up with, she dressed despite her anger. Looking herself over once in the mirror she came to realize it wasn't as bad as she had first expected. The red dress fell just above her knees, the entire thing accented with black lace that rose to cover her chest entirely. Glancing down at the gloves that went with it, she slid them on as well. The black lace of the gloves matched the dress perfectly, the sleeves ending just at her bicep. Slipping into red flats, grateful that she wouldn't be trekking the forest in heels, she twirled once to take the outfit in.

"Thank you Virgo." Lucy muttered under her breath, feeling her key warm up against her thigh where her ring was placed.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she found Cobra in the same position he was in when she went to get dressed. Rolling her eyes, she stepped over to him and bent down to his level. He looked so peaceful that Lucy was hesitant to wake him.

"Hey, Cobra, it's time to get up." She whispered, frowning at the lack of response.

"Come on, wake up." She said a little louder, only to fall on deaf ears.

Sighing, she poked his cheek, watching as his brow furrowed and a small frown spread across his face, but other than that, she was met with snores.

"You're going to force my hand, mister." She glared down at his form, not noticing the twitch of his fingers.

With a quick tug, she tore the blankets away from him. His eye snapped open almost immediately and with a growl, he grabbed at them. His hand clamped down onto her wrist and Lucy flinched at the tight grip he had on her. His eye zeroed in on her and his grip loosened immediately. With a huff, he pulled the blankets from her grasp and covered himself once more before settling down. Lucy blinked once, her wrist sore from his tight hold, before looking down to where he was eyeing her. A small frown was on his face when his eye left hers to take in her outfit.

"You aren't leaving looking like that." Was all he said before he turned over and promptly fell back to sleep.

Lucy flushed in anger as his snores once again filled the room. Her brow twitched in anger when his snores only grew louder, as if mocking her. Squaring her shoulders, she decided that she would go on ahead of him and get herself ready for their stake out. Writing a note for him, she made sure to emphasize where she was off to multiple times before she ended her note with a kissy face before she taped it to the back of the door. Many citizens of the city cleared a path for her as she walked through, taking notice of the dark look on her face as she marched past everyone.

It wasn't long before she stood at the front of the guild in question. Finding it had been easier than she thought it would be. Then again she just followed a noticeable path that led right to it.

' _How on Earthland did anyone miss this?'_ She thought to herself.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she pushed the doors open roughly to catch everyone's attention. A dark smirk spread across her face as they all turned to look her way. Her eyes roamed the crowd, taking notice that most if not all of them were in fact male, before her gaze settled on a rather large male sitting by himself. He was the only one who did not turn to look her way and her interest was peaked when he continued to ignore the way everything had grown silent. Making her way through the crowd towards him, she heard the intake of every male she passed until she was right behind the larger one. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she leaned down over his back to whisper into his ear.

"Mind telling me who's in charge here?" She said breathlessly, grinning when he shivered as her breath tickled the side of his cheek.

His eyes flashed to hers and she paused for a moment, a shiver of excitement trailing down her spine as his red eyes darkened with desire. He turned to face her fully when she pulled away, his full attention now on her.

"That would be me, little lady. Tell me what you are doing in a place such as this." His deep voice made her legs quiver.

"I was hoping to join your guild." Lucy leaned in towards him once more, her lips coming to brush against his as she stared into his eyes that seemed to cast a spell over her.

Without so much of a warning, she crashed her lips against his, hearing as he groaned into it before responding with fervor. Lucy found herself reeling despite loving every minute of it. This was not supposed to happen, she was supposed to get in and lay low, not make out with their master as soon as she walked in. Casting her worries to the wind momentarily, she let herself enjoy the feeling of a strong male in her arms.

Her hands found their way into his hair, her nails raking across his scalp as he pulled her onto his lap, his own hands finding purchase on her hips to hold her steady. She felt his arousal press into her thigh and she had to stifle a moan as he ground up into her, pulling away momentarily before lifting her up into his arms and making his way down a hall and out of the main room. Seeming to come back from whatever had possessed her, she found herself in a bad situation as he closed his office door and locked it behind him before placing her atop his desk. Lucy was once again pulled into his arms, his lips finding hers and every fear melted when he stood between her legs. His arousal pressed against her core and she swore she saw stars.

"Where you want your mark sweet thing?" He purred as he pressed kisses down the side of her neck.

Lucy moaned when he bit down harshly at the apex of her neck. She felt his blunt teeth pierce through her skin and draw blood, but she couldn't find it in herself to care as he lapped at it with his tongue. Lucy forced her brain to function enough to answer him.

"I don't care, please just don't stop touching me." Lucy blushed, her own voice sounding strange to her ears.

A grin spread across the man's face before he pressed a heated kiss to her lips once more.

"As you wish." He smirked down at her, pulling back just enough to reach for his stamp before he placed it against her flesh.

Lucy moaned out louder when his fingers brushed against her clothed entrance. Pulling his hand away he admired the stamp for a moment before he traced the outline with his finger. Just below her core, on her right thigh, sat the weird symbol she had seen on the male from yesterday. A phoenix sat on her flesh, the black ink standing out against the paleness of her skin.

"You look so good with my mark on you." The male's husky voice brought her back to the present.

Giving herself a second to really look the male over, she found that he was attractive, incredibly so. His large frame was up to par with Gajeel, perhaps even Laxus. His eyes certainly matched that of the iron slayer. His hair that was tied up into a ponytail hung well past his shoulders, the white color something Lucy had yet to see on a person. Multiple scars littered his body, the most noticeable one running down the left side of his face from his temple down to his jaw.

Before Lucy could finish her exploration of the male, his lips were back on hers and all thought flew out the window. She could feel his fingers brush over the skin of her thigh where the new mark rested and for a moment, she felt a burning sensation occur before it was gone. The slight sensation was enough for her to pull her thoughts back together. With one final kiss, she pulled away from the male and stared up into his eyes as she took in shaky breaths.

"Now that we have gotten acquainted with ourselves, I think it would be a perfect time to discuss our magic and what your plans are for me." Lucy watched as the male blinked down at her for a moment before nodding his head slowly.

"That sounds like a good idea, alright." He rubbed at the base of his neck for a moment, seemingly distracted for a moment longer before he pulled himself together. "We call ourselves the Red Hawks, since our guild is so small and rather out of the way, it makes it difficult to get supplies up here so we take to sending multiple groups out at a time to scavenge and bring back the profits. Every now and then we get a job request and whoever I think would be best suited for it is who I send. Now speaking of that, what kind of magic do you have? I like to keep track that way when something comes up I can know ahead of time."

"I specialize in Celestial Magic but I can also use water as well." Lucy watched as the man's eyes widened ever so slightly before he nodded his head and pulled out a small notepad from his desk she was currently perched upon.

"That could very well come in handy. I suppose you would like to know what magic I possess do you not?" He asked, his gaze coming back to meet hers once he had finished jotting down his notes.

With her approval he told her of his capabilities in transformation. Similar to takeover magic, except it allows him to form into whatever beast of his choosing. The easiest one he could manage was a rather large fox, something Lucy was surprised to find out. He showed her too and Lucy had to stifle her shock as within seconds there was a white fox, about the size of a grey wolf, with piercing red eyes staring up at her. The beast if on hind legs would easily dwarf her, something she duly noted as he came closer to her and nudged her with his muzzle.

Before she had time to blink, he was back in front of her, his long white hair tied up in the same ponytail and his smirk back in place as he reclined in his chair once more.

"Speechless huh? I don't get that kind of reaction often." Lucy nodded her head dumbly, drawing a snort from him.

"Is there anything else you can turn into?" The male nodded his head, and Lucy's mouth actually dropped open in shock when a large bear was suddenly in front of her.

The fur was once again a startling shade of white and his red eyes stood out amongst the light color, but just like last time, she didn't have the chance to really get a good look before he was once again in his chair.

"Okay, so instead of showing me, why don't you just tell me?" Lucy watched as he just shrugged his shoulder in response, but agreed to her request.

Lucy talked with him for a few more minutes, about twenty, before she was making her way back down to the main hall after learning his name. Asael fit him, rather well. She mingled with the others for awhile longer before she made her way out of the guild and back down the rather worn path into town. Knowing that Cobra was going to be pissed when she got back, she decided on just avoiding the room for now and instead wandered around some more, window shopping and all that.

Wasting what was left of her day, she settled on grabbing a bite to eat and take back as an apology. Grabbing a burger was easy, but finding her way back was proving to be the real challenge. With the sun almost all the way down, she couldn't make out the street signs and there was no one out at this time, all the curtains had been drawn and the only thing illuminating the path were the spread out street lamps that barely helped. She had stumbled over her footing a couple times before she managed to figure out where she was.

Entering the hotel lobby, she waved to the guy behind the desk before making her way further inside, marching up hesitantly to their room. The sound of the t.v. playing inside made her worries subside momentarily and she found the strength to push the door open. Before she could close the door, hands were on her waist and pulling her further inside. A nose buried itself into her neck and a growl rumbled through the male's chest as he pulled away to glare at her.

The single purple eye bored holes into hers and Lucy suddenly felt scared. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and her breath came out in short pants as her lips were captured by rough chapped ones. Instead of the numbing effect Asael had on her, Cobra made her body ignite with a burning she couldn't explain. Her hands found purchase in his hair and Lucy pulled him closer, moaning into his mouth as his hands roamed over her clothed backside. She felt the sharp nip of his canines against her lips and Lucy couldn't help another moan from slipping past her lips.

"Who did you let touch you like this?" Cobra growled against her mouth, his eye open and staring down into hers as his hands paused in their track over her lower back.

"Who did you let mark your skin with their hands and mouth? Who was it?" Cobra's hands tightened where they were holding on her, growing slightly uncomfortable.

"The guild master, his name is Asael. I found out quite a bit today." Lucy muttered, her eyes drifting away from his before a hand grabbed her by the cheeks and forced her to look back at the snarling dragon in front of her.

"You smell like a mangy mutt." Cobra hissed, his eye flashing dangerously before he once again smashed his lips against hers.

Lucy's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she was easily lifted from the floor and into the strong arms of her slayer. Breathing in heavily through her nose, she made out his scent amongst the strong smell of grease of their forgotten dinner. Her back was met with the edge of one of the beds as Cobra slid in between her legs. Lucy cracked her eyes open to stare up into the bright colored eye that seemed to glow in the dimly lit room. From her position on the bed, Cobra seemed to loom over her predatorily and in a way she guessed he was.

"When I'm through with you, you'll only smell of me." Cobra's voice rumbled out from his chest.

Lucy tilted her head back, exposing her neck further when Cobra dipped down to nuzzle against the side of it. She groaned when his teeth nipped at her before his fangs sunk into her skin and drew blood. Cobra groaned against her when her blood touched his tongue and Lucy swore she felt him shiver against her before he pulled back and nuzzled her further. His cheek met with hers, her hair, her chest, her stomach, anywhere he could reach and within ten minutes, he was purring against her, her hands running through his hair as he laid himself against her lap.

Lucy silently wondered how she had managed to get herself into this situation, but from the content sounds coming from the slumbering male, she couldn't find it in herself to care. Settling herself further into the bed, careful not to wake him, she drifted off to sleep as well.

' _I'll tell the King of what I discovered tomorrow.'_ She thought idly as her eyes drifted shut.


	9. Chapter 9

Lucy awoke to her entire body feeling hotter than the surface of the sun. Her skin was slicked with sweat and she was trapped beneath the hulking male and the too hot bed. How on Earthland he wasn't sweating from the heat she put off was beyond her, but if she stayed where she was any longer, she would melt into a puddle. Somehow she managed to wiggle her way out from underneath him and into the bathroom where she took in her disheveled form with a twinge of worry.

She didn't feel like this yesterday, no where close to how feverish and sticky. Her face was pale and her eyes seemed glossy. Her head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, her limbs felt bogged down, as if she were suspended in a pool of tar. She watched, dazed as a drop of sweat dripped from her forehead down to the tip of her nose before it fell onto the bathroom counter. Shaking the haze out of her mind, she stumbled towards the shower before she hastily turned it on and made sure that it was freezing cold before she stepped inside.

The moment the water hit her skin, it felt as if a fire had lit within her. The warmth had gotten worse, turning into a raging inferno that couldn't be put out. Her vision grew dim and her legs stopped working completely. Falling to the shower floor with a heavy thump, Lucy lay in the stream, incapable of moving. The loud sound seemed to have roused the slumbering dragon in the other room for he came barreling into the bathroom with little care for modesty. Taking one look at the barely conscious girl, he picked her up and out of the running water, a light blush on his cheeks as he covered her with a towel before he was out the door and down in the main hall.

Rushing through the streets of the city with a naked woman in his arms drew a lot of attention and if it weren't for how angry he looked at the moment he was sure someone would've stopped him to question why he was holding her. Thanking his lucky stars that everyone seemed to understand the urgency of the situation as they parted for him to go through, he rushed about in hopes of finding a doctor who could help them. Scenting the air momentarily, he made out the scent of medical supplies and blood coming from a little ways down the street to his right.

With a sharp turn and a few angry shouts of the citizens, he sped down the pathways. The sight of a rather large hospital brought on a flurry of emotions, relief being the predominant one currently. Taking one look down at the girl in his arms, he quickened his already speedy pace, worried for the blonde in his arms. Crashing through the doors of the hospital, he took one look at a nurse before a large team of them came rushing out with a stretcher shouting demands for a doctor. Cobra felt them lift Lucy out of his arms and he had to bite back the snarl that threatened to spill from his lips as they practically tore the two apart.

Following the nurses down the hall until one of them stopped him in a waiting room, he kept his eyes on the delirious blonde until she was out of sight. Even then, he kept tabs on her by occasionally sniffing the air for her scent and tracking down her ever familiar light. Seemingly pleased with the fact that she was currently undergoing treatment for what he assumed was a bad fever, he allowed himself to recline back in the uncomfortable plastic chair for the time being. Closing his single eye, he listened out for a doctor to come by to explain what had happened as he drifted off into a light slumber.

When he awoke, he was being tapped on the shoulder lightly by a nurse in white scrubs. Raising a brow at the sudden appearance of another person, he sat up straighter before looking back towards the woman. She had a light blush on her face as she held out a few forms for him to look over, muttering something about paperwork before she left him to head back down towards her office space. Glancing over the sheet of papers, he placed them beside him on the empty chair before he leaned backwards.

Waiting for a doctor to come out and tell him what happened took a lot longer than he thought necessary for something simple like a fever, but seeing as how hot she felt when he picked her out of the shower, he supposed it wasn't very surprising. Hearing the sound of shoes tapping against the floor growing closer to him he cracked his eye open to glare down the hallway, hoping to scare off the nurse that came back only to stop when his eyes landed on a bear of a male.

The male's piercing red eyes scanned the waiting room for a moment before landing on him. The two locked eyes momentarily before the other male looked away and sat down closest to where he was standing. Cobra eyed the male for a moment longer before he too looked away and closed his single eye once more. After a short, tense silence, the sound of another set of shoes tapping got both of the males attention. A doctor in blue scrubs came wandering in.

"Which one of you is in charge of the feisty little blonde currently burning a hole in the stretcher she is placed in." The way the man worded it made it seem more like a demand than a question.

Before Cobra had time to claim that Lucy, was in fact his responsibility, the other male stood and motioned for the doctor to follow behind him and out of the waiting room. Cobra couldn't help the growl that slipped past his lips that time as he glared in the direction the two sauntered off to. Closing his eye, he listened in to the two that were down the hall.

"The girl should be fine in a day or two, she just joined my guild and it is a side effect of the guild mark. It brands the mage's skin that way even if their mark is removed, whether by force or willingly, they will always be recognized as a Red Hawk." The other male spoke.

"Even if what you say is true, I will need to keep her here for the rest of the day to make sure nothing else changes." The doctor thanked the man before the two came back from around the corner only to run into a silently raging dragon.

"She did what now?" Cobra growled, stalking forward and grabbing the red eyed male roughly before shoving him into the wall.

"Whoa there partner, whatever this is about, it doesn't have to involve a fight." The male surrendered too easily for Cobra's liking, but he reluctantly let go.

"What. Did. She. Do." Cobra glared at the male, impatient for his answer.

"She came into the guild yesterday, around noon and asked to join. I gave her the stamp and she walked away after we exchanged a few formalities, that's all man." The male shrugged, craning his neck to the side to peer around the male currently snarling in his face.

Cobra huffed in annoyance, of course she would do something as stupid as rushing off on her own before she even told him what she was planning. He guesses it could've been worse, she could've been found out and killed by them. Stepping back, he sighed before sitting back in his chair, his head in his hands.

"Name's Asael by the way, if you're looking to join too, just hit me up. We could use all the help we can get." Asael muttered before he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Hold it bucko, what do you mean?" Cobra questioned, watching as Asael turned back towards him.

"I'll tell you what I told your friend yesterday, we are kind of out of the way and since it's a little difficult to reach the guildhall, I send out groups to scavenge for supplies and the like in the city. We are a rather small guild so any help I can get is greatly appreciated." Asael rubbed at the side of his face as he sat back down in his chair, understanding that their conversation isn't yet over.

"You send those guys? You know they are breaking into stores and stealing right? It's scaring the crap out of these folks." Cobra took notice of the way Asael's eyes widened ever so slightly at the sudden news.

"I told them to scavenge, not steal! Jesus what do I pay those guys for!" Cobra blinked twice at that.

"You mean your guild isn't the one stealing?" Cobra asked after a moment, watching as the male shook his head rapidly.

"Gods no, we might not have the cleanest record, but we don't steal from people. I hire freelancers to gather supplies for us. They seemed trustworthy and I let them under the protection of a legal guild so they don't rise suspicion." Asael said.

Cobra's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment. The King had said that they were a dark guild and those weren't legal in the slightest.

"You guys are a legal guild?" Cobra questioned, watching as Asael nodded his head once more, pulling out a paper from his wallet tucked away in his pocket.

"Legalized since last year man, we're clean." Cobra hissed in annoyance.

"That bastard…" Cobra muttered darkly, his hands curled into fists.

The King lied, why on Earthland would he was us to gather information on a legal guild? Cobra stewed in his silence for a moment longer before he was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of a chair squeaking. Looking up he watched as Asael stood before nodding his head in his direction before he made his leave. Cobra let him go this time, too busy having to deal with a now confusing set of circumstances.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on for the slayer. He couldn't tell if it was because he was apart from his partner or if it had to do with the sudden news. Once Lucy was cleared to leave, her fever having broken and now at a much cooler temperature, he was sure to fill her in on the intel he had gotten from Asael. At the mention of said male, Lucy's face flushed an alarming shade of red that had Cobra thinking her fever had come back. Only to find that Asael was the male that marked her up yesterday.

With a now fuming dragon at her side, Lucy succumbed to her fate. They skipped dinner that night, one being too tired to care and the other too angry. The second the crossed into the hotel room, Lucy was squashed against the bed. The silent snarl on Cobra's lips made Lucy shiver, his single eye boring into hers as he scented her once more. Moving to bury his face into her neck, he nipped at the fading mark left on her yesterday. His fangs itched as they brushed over her pulse that was racing.

Pulling away to stare down at her flushed face, he sucked in a breath only to choke on the scent that wafted around them. Her scent had changed ever so slightly. The same honey and lavender scent was still there, but it was tinged with a spicer scent, almost like cinnamon. Sniffing through his nose a second time, he pressed himself closer to her neck to get a wif. It wasn't coming from the mark on her neck, so that was a good thing. Breathing it in once more, he realized just what kind of affect the scent had on him. His mouth began to water and his fangs began to burn, something he had yet to experience since he had the damned lacrima implanted.

Being closer to her neck made the burn lessen, but it wasn't until they were buried in her skin that the tingling stopped of their own accord. The cinnamon scent had only gotten stronger, and Cobra was beginning to grow dizzy from the overwhelming amount of it in the air. The sound of muffled moans reached his ears as he began to suckle at the tender mark on her skin. Drawing a bit of her blood into his mouth, he groaned when the liquid hit his tongue. The cinnamon scent was lying within it as well.

Lucy had to bite back a moan when Cobra suddenly pulled away from her, his single eye burning with a passion she had yet to see from him. His lips were stained a light shade of red, most likely from the now bleeding wound on her neck, but she couldn't care less about that right now. His fangs seemed to glisten in the dimly lit room, dripping with a clear substance that made the blood on his lips sizzle off.

' _Venom.'_ Her mind supplied her with the answer and she grew worried for a moment that he would hurt her.

The look in his eye however, gave her pause. There was a softness within the purple depths she had yet to see from him. Before she could figure out what it was, he was buried in her neck again, his fangs once again piercing the skin. A burning sensation slowly spread throughout her body as she felt him pump her full of the venom. Despite the pain she felt, his constant pressure on the wound made it numb to the point where she couldn't feel it sting. A soft purr started up in his chest, and the longer he stayed imbedded in her neck, the louder it got until it reverberated throughout the otherwise silent room.

Lucy felt a clawed hand run through her hair before he lifted her head and placed her face into the crook of his neck where he kept her until she finally got the gist and bit into the skin there. Her blunt teeth had a hard time breaking the skin but when they did, her mouth filled with the sweetest flavor to have blessed her taste buds. Moaning in delight, Lucy gratefully lapped at the blood, barely noticing that it had actually helped with the burning pain that was still spreading throughout her body.

Cobra purred louder once Lucy broke his skin, his fangs slowly staunching the flow of his venom until he was able to retract them from her shoulder. Eyeing the new mark at her neck in pride, he nodded to himself before burying his face back into her neck and nuzzling it. Lucy cooed at him softly, her hands running through his hair as they slowly drifted off to sleep, neither of them knowing that come morning they would have to deal with the repercussions of their actions.

 ***I'm so sorry for the rather long wait for this chapter, but since school started and college classes got a little stressful I was unable to focus much on this story or any other ones that are currently in the works. After the break I will most likely have one other update before summer break if I can manage my time better, with work and class and all that.**

 **Anyway I'm grateful for all of you who have patiently waited for this and I hope you enjoyed despite of the rather short chapter!**

 **Thank you!***


	10. Chapter 10

Cobra awoke first for a change, something he took pride in. Slipping out of their shared bed, he glanced down at the slumbering blonde with a subdued smile. Brushing her bangs away from her forehead, he paused as he felt how warm she was. Taking a better look at her, he realized just how pale she looked. Her skin was a sickening shade, a cold sweat had broken out sometime in the night judging from the sheen that covered her skin. The small smile he thought was on her face turned out to be a tense frown, her breath coming out in short pants.

Brow furrowed in concern, he picked her up in his arms and took her into the bathroom to prepare a cool bath to lower her temperature. Placing her on the toilet, he began the bath, testing the temperature of the water before he plugged the drain. Turning his attention back to Lucy, he pulled off her pajamas with ease. His heart almost stopped at the sight of the dark purple bruises surrounding red and inflamed bite marks on the side of her neck. Hissing in alarm, Cobra scented the air to be sure it wasn't infected. His frown only grew when he realized that it was in fact venom that was flooding her veins instead of an illness.

' _What happened last night?'_ Cobra sighed, lifting Lucy's head into his hands.

Being as careful as possible, he attempted to wake her with light pats to the side of her head. A few moments later, hazy brown eyes cracked open, her mouth parting to speak but all that came out was a crackly groan. Her eyes slid shut a moment longer than he would've liked but they blinked open, the haze slowly fading as her eyes locked on with his.

"C-Cobra…" Lucy muttered, blinking once more before she was hefted into strong arms and placed in frigid water.

Cobra bit back a groan at the sharp whine that tumbled from Lucy's lips once she was fully submerged in the bath. Grabbing a washcloth from the towel rack beside the shower, he wetted the rag before he brought it to the mark at her neck. Brushing over the wound, Cobra took note of how Lucy tensed before a soft moan tumbled from her lips. Her eyes grew hazy once more, not from sleep or pain this time. A flush spread across her cheeks, painting the otherwise ghostly white skin pink. The fact that she was nude popped into the forefront of his mind and gave him pause.

Glancing down to her chest, his eye roamed over the flushed peaks. Lucy purred as his hand brushed against the mark once more. His eye came back to meet up with hers, how her face flushed and she leaned forward. Before Cobra could do anything, her lips met with his, and Lucy practically melted against him. Her hands shakily rose from the water and came to rest in his hair, easily messing up the already messy locks. A groan tumbled from his lips as Lucy's chest pressed to his as she pulled herself out of the water.

With a harsh shove forward, Lucy managed to hop on top of the male now beneath her. Her hands left his hair in exchange to roam lower, towards his chest and abdomen. Her fingers brushed the band of his boxers and Lucy pulled back from his lips to lower herself to his neck. Kissing and nipping her way down his neck, she planted open mouthed kisses down his chest and stomach before coming to rest between his legs. Her brown eyes rose to meet with his singular indigo eye that was lidded. His mouth was cracked open, pants spilling from his lips as his hands rose up to brush through her hair.

A wicked grin spread across her face and before Cobra could figure out why, her lips descended on his clothed member, wrapping around the tip. Bucking up to meet her face, a moan tumbling from his lips, Cobra's head tilted back, his single eye sliding shut. Lucy hummed to herself, pleased with his reaction, bobbing her head up and down a few times before she pulled away. Smiling down at the male beneath her, she pulled his underwear down slightly, just enough for him to spring free before she sat just above his waist.

Cobra raised a brow at the naked woman placed on his stomach, watching as she spread her legs overtop him before she slid back down and his mouth formed a perfect o. She slid overtop his cock with ease, her warmth enveloping him entirely. She didn't stop until he was fully inside her and she found an angle comfortable for her before she rose up and slammed herself back down. Cobra growled, his hands rising to rest at her hips to help guide her up and down as she rode him into the ground. Lucy's long hair swayed as she bounced, her head tilted back, her mouth parted as little moans came tumbling out. Cobra's eye racked over her form, the way her thighs quivered as she rose and fell over him, her breasts swaying in time with her motions, the way her eyes slid shut and drool dripped from her lips and down her chin.

Lucy's eyes cracked open and peered down to where Cobra lay, blinking as she took in the awestruck expression on his face. Smiling down at him, she bent over and placed a sloppy kiss on his lips before she sat back up and moved her hands to his chest. The soft touches from the woman above him drove him wild. The nearly brutal pace of her hips contrasted so nicely from the loving touches she placed on him. The soft caresses of her lips, the gentle touches of her hands, the loving look in her eyes as she gazed down at him had his heart beating rapidly in his chest. A strange feeling built up in his chest, filling his lungs with a pressure he had never felt before. Easily flipping the two over, Cobra trapped the blonde beneath him in his arms, his lips crashing over hers before Lucy could so much as blink.

Her hands rose to rest in his hair, fingernails scraping over his scalp and occasionally brushing over sensitive ears. A loud rumble grew in his chest, vibrating his entire being. The snapping of his hips sped up, drawing loud moans from his blonde as she squirmed under the hold he had on her. Her eyes never left his even as her body was racked with trembles from her first orgasm. Cobra made sure to keep her hands pinned beneath one of his as the other trailed down the side of her face to rest at her cheek for a moment. The blonde leaned into the caress, a soft smile spreading across her face before more moans were pulled from her. The pressure in his chest and lungs grew in strength, nearly choking him until he buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.

Honey and lavender filled his nose, drawing a growl from him. Within the matter of a few seconds, he had Lucy on her hands and knees, pistoning into her. Lucy's voice rose in volume, nearly deafening if it weren't for the fact that Cobra wasn't listening anymore. His teeth nipped at her neck once more, over the marks that were placed there the night before. His fangs itched to be buried in her skin and he wasn't one to ignore the feeling building in his chest. With a few more hard thrusts, he buried both himself and his teeth into her, growls and moans spilling from both of them as they came together.

Lucy flopped down to the tiled floor, spent. Cobra kept himself buried in her, his fangs retracting from the marks once more. Kissing and licking the mark as he pulled away from her neck, he took notice of the mess they had made of the bathroom. Ignoring the mess for the time being, he carefully hefted her into his arms before taking them both back into the room. Placing them both under the covers, he cuddled up beside her, placing a kiss to the crown of her head before slowly drifting off to sleep, Lucy already passed out beside him.

When he awoke later that day, Lucy felt warm in his arms, not nearly as warm as she had earlier. The marks on her neck didn't seem nearly as irritated and inflamed as they were, but the purple bruises were still in place. He took in the oddly colored swirls that lie beneath her skin. Bending down to sniff at them, his eye widened when he realized it smelled like himself. A purr rumbled in his chest and he couldn't fight back the sudden need to nuzzle her neck. Lucy moaned softly in her sleep, nowhere close to waking up just yet. Smiling down at her, he brushed her hair from her face before he got up to go clean their mess from earlier as well as clean himself.

Thirty minutes later he stepped out of the bath with a towel around his shoulders. Lucy still lay where he last left her, snoozing the day away. He supposed he should let her be for the time being. Calling down for room service to bring up some food for them later, he reclined back in the bed, pulling Lucy into his chest as he got comfortable. Burying his face in her hair, he spent the rest of the afternoon holding his mate in his arms.

Lucy awoke to strong arms wrapped around her and a pleasant aching in her legs. Flashes of what occured in the bathroom came to the forefront of her mind and she couldn't find it in herself to care. She was happy and comfortable where she was, so why worry about that now. Being bound to this male actually appealed to her on many levels. The sound of chuckling met her ears and a warm breath tickled the fine hairs on her neck.

"Not too bad huh? Told ya so." Cobra muttered into her ear, watching as a flush spread across her cheeks and down her chest.

"Hush it mister." She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Did I ever tell you you're cute when you're mad?" Cobra laughed as her face grew even redder before she turned in his hold to face him.

Before she could open her mouth to retort, his lips crashed over hers. She leaned into the kiss immediately, moaning softly as he nipped at her lips. Pulling away from her was hard, but the grumbling of her stomach that rang out in the room reminded him of the food that was brought up earlier and placed in the kitchenette. Placing one more kiss to her lips, he got out of bed to grab them their plates before making his way back over and handing her plate to her.

"Tah dah, dinner in bed." Cobra brandished the plate, waiting for her to settle down before he placed it in her lap.

"Why thank you Cobra, you didn't have to do this for me." Lucy smiled up at him before she dug in.

"Erik." Was all he said.

"Huh?" Lucy paused, lowering her utensil to the plate before she looked back to him.

"My name, it's Erik." He sat down next to her, his plate in his hand.

"Erik, it suits you!" Lucy smiled at him, her eyes lighting up in joy as she dug back into her food.

' _Gods the way she says my name almost makes me wish I had told her years ago.'_ Cobra fought back the urge to make her say his name once more in exchange for stuffing his face.

With dinner out of the way, the two were free to spend time with each other. Lucy learned more about the male she was coming to love and Cobra got to know the blonde that was already wedged deep in his heart. They talked a bit about their mission and how they would go about handling the rather sensitive issue. They supposed that she would have to go in and get some concrete evidence of their legality and show it to the King or else nothing would change. Lucy was certain she would be able to convince the guild to find more...law abiding ways to get supplies instead of stealing.

With thoughts of the next day on their minds, the couple allowed themselves to drift off to sleep. The next morning, Lucy awoke to a banging at the door and some curses slipping past Cobra's lips. Said male stood out of bed, grabbing a pair of boxers that were lying on the floor as he went and stomped over to the door. Blinking tired brown eyes up in his general direction, Lucy tried to pull a coherent thought together as she heard hushed whispering from down the hall. She couldn't quite make out the other voice, but the sudden appearance of Asael at the edge of the bed was rather off putting. Cobra looked extremely ticked off, if his curled lip and glare had anything to go by, but the worried look on Asael's face wiped away Lucy's good mood immediately.

"Lucy, sweetheart, we have a problem. Bring Grumpypuss with you." Was all Asael said before he was rushing back out of the room for them to get dressed and catch up to him.

The two dressed quickly and managed to catch up to the guild master within minutes. Asael was worrying his bottom lip as they sped walked through town to the obvious trail that lead to the guild. The sight of the charred building ahead of them surprised the two newcomers.

"Gods what happened here?" Lucy gasped, a hand raised to cover her mouth as she took in the destruction of the guild hall.

"Damn King, that's what. Hired some mages to burn the whole place down. Got some of the fuckers that did this down in the basement currently, being interrogated." Asael motioned to the only thing that wasn't burnt to a crisp, a small crawl space that led down into the ground.

The trio made their way downstairs, the scent of blood and piss lingering in the air. Cobra grinned in excitement, it had been awhile since he was able to let loose and enjoy himself. Tapping Asael on the shoulder, the slayer offered to continue with the interrogation for them. Lucy shook her head in exasperation, but couldn't hide the small grin on her face at the sight of her mate bouncing on the balls of his feet as the guild master unlocked the cell doors to let them in. The beaten forms of four mages tied up brought up some memories Lucy had buried.

 _The sight of the three large males tied up beneath her brought a strange satisfaction to her. Lucy grinned down at the frightened men, fiddling with a bloodied knife in her hand absentmindedly as she paced back and forth. They had long since given up their struggling, their bonds were far too tight for them to get out and even if they managed to, the sight of two spirits flanking Lucy's right and left had them quaking in their boots. Many cuts and lacerations littered their skin, mostly from the blonde currently kneeling down in front of the male who had put up most of the fight._

" _Now I'm only going to ask one more time, if you refuse to answer, I'm afraid I'm going to have to get creative with my techniques." The tight lipped mage glared up at the female, groaning against the bind in his mouth. "Nothing huh? That's okay, I get to try something out now."_

 _With a look to her maid spirit, Lucy was equipped with an array of tools to get the job done. Fiddling with a needle in her hand, Lucy eyed the suddenly pale mage with interest._

" _Now you may feel a slight pinch, but after that, you should be feeling real good in a moment." A feral grin spread across Lucy's face, and the sound of muffled screaming filled the room as she dug the syringe into the male's neck before he could even attempt to move away._

Blinking out of her daze, Lucy watched as Cobra strolled over to one of the guild members, pushing him aside ever so gently before taking his place. The fear on the mages faces brought that same jolt of satisfaction to Lucy she had felt oh so long ago as a freelance mage. Cobra spared her a sidelong glance before he focused his attention on the males on the floor.

"Now, what do we know already?" Cobra asked Asael as he scrutinized his prey.

"We know who hired them and how much they were paid, none of them want to tell us why." Asael glanced over to the blonde by his side, noticing the way she quivered ever so slightly before she grabbed at her arm, her eyes never leaving the fallen forms of the mages on the ground.

"You're going to tell me why you were hired and what it was you were supposed to do here." Cobra demanded, pausing for a moment before he turned to face one of the males.

Bending down to his level, Cobra reached out and grabbed a hold of the male's shirt, pulling him to come just short of his face. The mage quaked in fear as his eyes met with Cobra's, a groan tumbling past his lips as he was pulled just too far from the restraints tying him to the wall.

"I'm not going to ask again, why were you hired?" Cobra growled into his face, fangs bared as he snarled.

A hand tapping him on the shoulder pulled him away from what he was doing and the sight of his mate with a small grin on her face had him pulling away entirely.

"What's up Starshine?" He turned to place a kiss to her lips, enjoying the way she leaned into it before she pulled away and gently pushed him aside.

"I've got this one." Lucy grinned at him before summoning out two spirits.

The sight of Loke and Virgo at her side had all the men in the room blinking in surprise. With a pointed look towards her maid spirit, she was gone and back in a flash, a cart with her covered by a sheet. A grin spread across the blonde's face as she lifted the sheet up to see many surgical tools lying on the cart. Picking up a needle, Lucy turned to the male Cobra let go of and crouched down to stare at him.

"Now don't you worry about a thing, you're in good hands now. You might feel a slight pinch so don't be alarmed." Lucy stuck the needle into his neck, watching as the male froze up before he let out a muffled scream as the liquid in the needle spread through his body. "Oh and this is going to _hurt_."

Cobra and Asael watched as Lucy stuck each mage in the neck with different needles, all of them screaming in pain before falling oddly silent. Lucy's two spirits pulled one of them up off the ground and uncuffed him before pulling him over to one of the tables before securing him there. Pulling the cart along with her, Lucy plucked one of the scalpels up from the sheet before she turned back to the male watching her through lidded eyes as she lined up the instrument to his skin.

"Anything you want to tell me before I get to work?" Lucy asked, listening for a moment as his breathing sped up momentarily. "I didn't think so. Be careful not to swallow your tongue, the drug I gave you numbed you up pretty good."

Lucy dug the scalpel into his skin, watching in rapt attention as his flesh easily parted as she slid it down his chest. Blood bubbled up from the incision and Virgo easily blotted the blood out of the way as Lucy reached for clamps. Peeling his skin back, Lucy secured it out of her way before she reached for a small hammer. Holding the tool in her hand in front of the mage's face, she waved it around, watching as he inspected it before she brought it down on his ribs. Hearing them crack under her weight Lucy fought back a crazed grin as she took in the sight of the damage. The bone had shattered under her, revealing lungs inflating and deflating rapidly as the male screamed in agony.

"I guess I didn't give you enough medicine, oh well. Virgo, will you go get me some metal rods?" Lucy asked the spirit, who only nodded in response before she was gone, and Loke had taken her spot at dabbing away any blood that bubbled up.

When the spirit returned, there was a bag of blood with her too. Silently, Virgo set up the transfusion as the two got to work on the destroyed ribcage. Lucy hummed to herself as she drilled the rods in place, securing them to what was left of his ribs and making sure she didn't damage any organs underneath. Setting a tracker in place on the rod was easy and once she was certain she was finished, she began to stitch the man up. The mage had long since passed out from the pain, but she knew that this wasn't so much for him as it was for the other three that were still watching her. Adding the tracker was just a precaution.

Finishing with the mage on the table, she cleaned the wound before turning to face the three mages that were on the ground, holding the hammer and needle in her hand as she smiled sweetly to them.

"Any of you next? Or are you going to tell me what I want to know?" Many squeaks filled the room as they all tried to speak.

Lucy leaned down and pulled the makeshift gag out of one of their mouths, watching intently as the mage panted before he spoke.

"The King wanted us to burn the guild to the ground and any evidence of their legality so you wouldn't be able to press charges against him. Said something about killing two birds with one stone. Now please, leave us alone!" The mage whimpered, his eyes clenched shut tightly as he finished speaking.

Lucy hummed, running a hand down the side of her face before she reached out and brushed a bloodied hand down the male's face. "Just because you asked so nicely, I suppose I'll leave you three be. Your friend there will be in some serious pain when he wakes up and should take it easy for awhile before you idiots decide to pull something of this scale again."

Lucy stood and cleaned her hands on one of the mage's shirts before she apologized to her spirits and sent them on their merry way. Turning around for the first time since she had started her procedure, she was met with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Rolling her eyes at the males, she placed a kiss to Cobra's cheek before she brushed past him and back up the stairs, hoping to find something that survived. Digging through the ash, Lucy managed to stumble on a scorched filing cabinet that had seen better days. Testing the handle, she pulled the drawer open, squealing in excitement at the sight of legal documents. Making sure she snapped a few pictures of the rubble that was the guild, Lucy made her way back downstairs to ask a few more questions before she and her small group were on their way to the castle.

"You wouldn't happen to have any papers that prove to me that the King did in fact hire you, do you?" Lucy smiled sweetly, her hands clasped behind her back as she eyed the three on the ground.

They seemed hesitant to speak, but a soft groan from their friend still tied to the table had them talking. One of them motioned to their pair of pants and Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, watching for a moment before she spun him around and placed her foot against his back, holding him to the ground as she came near his hands. Tugging a piece of paper from his back pocket, she snatched it up and pulled herself away from him before he could grab ahold of her arm. Delivering a swift kick to the side of his head, she rendered him unconscious. The remaining two mages sat in silence as she looked over the document.

Nodding to herself she turned to flash the paper at Asael before she glared down at the two remaining males on the ground.

"Now you two are going to sit tight and I am going to get in touch with the local enforcement to have you arrested, so don't be going anywhere." With a feral grin and a wave of her hand, she was gone back up the stairs.

Cobra and Asael shared a look with one another before the made sure to secure them once more before they too followed Lucy back up the staircase and out into the mess that was the Red Hawk's guild. The blonde was scene pacing back and forth as she held a lacrima in her hand. Cobra let her be for the moment, in turn rounding on the male beside him. Asael was paler than he was yesterday, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"You know man, if you're that upset over it, you can always join our guild." Cobra spoke, watching as Asael turned on a dime to look at him.

"What in Gods' name are you talking about? Our guild was destroyed!" Asael cried, scowling at the redhead before he turned to look back at the blonde making her way back towards them.

"I got some good news and bad news. The good news is, the law enforcement will be here soon, the bad news is they have discovered a warrent for my arrest back in Fiore and are on their way to cart me back too. So it's been nice knowing you Asael but we have to bounce." Lucy offered the mage a small smile and a wave before she was off, dashing down the path in hopes of beating the law here.

"If you care to know, White Sea would take all of your guild in if you wanted a fresh start somewhere, that's where we are heading after this. Just ask for Cobra once you get there." Cobra gave Asael a two fingered salute before he too, was racing down the path after his mate.

Following her scent as she dodged within the trees and on the path, he managed to catch up with her just as they were breaking out of the treeline and mingling with the crowd of the city. The two slowed their pace into a crawl as they made their way back to the castle and requested a meeting with the King. Staring down at the male sat quivering in his throne, Lucy marched her way over to the side of him. Yanking on his hair, she tugged his head back so he could meet her eyes. Whatever he saw had him whimpering as her hold on his hair tightened.

"You're going to hand over the jewel and the keys that you promised or this little encounter will go topside and I will make sure you are removed from your position as King." Lucy growled, narrowing her eyes down at the man who only nodded his head and rummaged around in his desk drawer before pulling out a bag of jewel and a small box.

Letting go of his hair she counted the jewels out loud before she shut the pouch and handed it to the male beside her. Opening the small box, three silver keys lay inside. Nodding her head, she motioned for Cobra to follow her back out the door.

"Oh and I will be sure to tell my guild master just what transpired here, White Sea will no longer be taking any missions from you or your Kingdom, have a good day." Lucy offered the King one final smile before she and Cobra were out the door.

"You actually going to let that guy get off scot free?" Cobra pointed over his shoulder to where he can still hear the King now crying in his chair.

"You've known me for how long and you seriously think I'm just going to let this slide? Fuck no, that guy screwed over so many people and for what? A few people stealing food? I don't think so." Lucy hissed, her hands clenched into fists at her side.

Cobra side eyed her before he slid his hand down to brush against hers, waiting for her to calm before he intertwined their fingers together. A small smile spread across Lucy's face as they walked down the hallway and out towards the foyer. Bidding the maid goodbye, they left the stuffy castle and made their way down to the train station.

"So how are you going to do this?" Cobra asked as they sat on a bench to wait for their train after they had gotten their ticket back to Pelerno.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that Sugar, I've got this handled." Lucy purred, running a hand down the side of her mate's face before she planted a soft kiss to his lips.

Pulling away, she giggled at the far away look in his eye. He blinked, turning to her with a burning heat in his gaze that wasn't there before.

"Oh you are so gonna get it on this train ride Starshine." Cobra growled, bringing the blonde back in for a searing kiss that shouldn't be shared in public.

Moaning into his mouth, Lucy leaned in before pulling away from the intoxicating male.

"Down boy down, wait until we get inside first." Lucy giggled, poking him in the nose before she leaned against his shoulder and buried her face into his neck.

Breathing in his scent, Lucy allowed herself to relax after a long and stressful day. Cobra placed a gentle hand in the small of her waist, pulling her closer before he stuck his nose into her hair, sniffing before he breathed out against her golden locks.

"I can't wait to get back home." He sighed, placing a kiss to the crown of her head before the sound of their train being called pulled them apart.

He fell in line behind her as they got up to the train, and with a dark grin, he smacked her ass as she climbed into the car. Hearing her squeal in alarm before she growled at him had his grin turning into a smirk and with a final look around at the shit hole that was Stella, he followed her into the car.

 ***Chapter Ten is finished! Sorry for the rather long wait, I had a small case of writer's block and couldn't really tell where this was heading for a moment there. But I am back on track and plan to finish this up in a few more chapters, make three or four. Alissa you can stop hounding me to get this done, just fucking read and be happy you bitch, (lol jk gurl I love you).**

 **Anyway thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!***


	11. Chapter 11

The trip back to Bosco was, to say the least, one of the best train ride's Cobra had been on to date. Despite the rocking of the train car, Lucy managed to keep his attention on something other than the constant rolling of his stomach. He thanked his lucky stars for the blessing that lay out before him now. After their long trip back home, they skipped going to the guild entirely, instead making a beeline for their shared apartment. It was early in the morning, Lucy was still sleeping the day away, tucked comfortably into his side, her hair tickling the underside of his nose, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

It wasn't until around 12 when he was interrupted. A steady pounding on their front door woke his sleeping mate from a sweet dream and she groaned blearily from his side. A snarl slipped past his lips when he heard the incessant thoughts of the person who was currently asking for a beating. Detangling himself from his mate, he stomped his way over to the door and flung it open, hearing a smack and a groan from the male in question.

"What do you fuckin' want man?" Cobra hissed, eye narrowed in agitation as the large blond held a hand over his nose, groaning in the back of his throat.

"Did you have to slam the door in my face? Gods I think you broke it." Laxus huffed. "You two are needed back at the guild ASAP, something about a King."

Cobra simply nodded his head before slamming his door closed in his face once more, smirking deviously when he heard the tell tale sound of it meeting with skin once more and the pain filled curse from the other slayer behind it. The sound of tinkling laughter drew his attention away from the curses slipping past the male's lips in the hallway and back down to the other blonde in front of him.

"Maybe the guild can wait a few more minutes…" Cobra muttered under his breath, taking in all that was the female in front of him.

Lucy had heard him, judging from the wicked grin that spread across her face. And with the quirk of her finger in his direction, he figured that the guild could, in fact, wait a bit more.

When the two of them finally left the apartment, it was nearing 2. Laxus had come back about an hour after he left to complain that Caleb had grown impatient for them and demanded that they come at once, but a middle finger in Laxus' face was the only answer he got from the red haired male in the doorway. Lucy felt bad about ignoring her current guild master, but any and all thoughts about that flew out with window when Cobra's lips crashed against hers for the millionth time that day.

When they got to the guild, instead of being met with an angry Caleb, they were met with the panicked screams of the entire guild. The sounds could be heard from a few streets away and once they reached Cobra's highly sensitive ears, they had both broken out into a sprint. Lucy flung the doors to the guild open, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Fiorian Rune Knights everywhere. Many of them had various guild members in magic cancelling cuffs and restrained against the floor. Lucy's eyes managed to catch a familiar head of black hair tied up in white. It seems he had seen her too for his lavender colored eyes sought hers out and within seconds, a half a dozen men had her under wraps too.

Lahar's voice cut through the chaos and made Lucy's blood run cold.

"Heartfilia is restrained… Yes sir right away. We shall be back in Era within a few days. No sir, I don't think restraining the slayer is a good choice at this moment, we cannot house the two in the same prison in case they attempt something like that again. Understood sir, thank you."

Something in Lucy snapped at that moment. All coherent thought flew out of her head at the thought of being separated from the dragon she had come to love over the last few months. With an enraged snarl, Lucy turned her head towards the male's arm holding her in place and sunk her teeth into his skin. An anguished cry slipped from the male's mouth as he tore his arm out of her mouth, tearing a chunk of his flesh off in the process. Blood coated the inside of the blonde's mouth and dribbled down her chin. Before another guard could grab her, she reached down for her whip resting at her side, unfurling it and cracking it across a knight's face.

A crazed grin spread across her face, blood pumping in her ears as she fought tooth and nail to get back over to where she could just barely see her mate tearing knights apart to reach her. A weight suddenly pressed down on her back and sent her tumbling to the floor. Instead of the weight moving off it stayed heavily planted on top of her. Turning furious eyes to look up at her captor, the blood drained from her face and left her feeling numb. Gajeel's own angry eyes clashed with hers. The blood red color brought back memories she thought she had gotten over, but the coldness that lie within them made her falter.

A phantom pain sprung to life against her side, bringing tears to her eyes as she stared up at the male above her. He seemed momentarily confused before he had cuffs placed around her wrists, officially marking the end of her terror. Tearing her gaze away from his, she let her head fall against the floor.

"Starshine! Lucy look at me!" Her head snapped up, her eyes immediately meeting with his.

His eye was blown wide, his pupil dilated as he struggled to reach her amongst the mass of knights. A frown lay across his face, and if she allowed herself to believe it, she could almost make out the start of tears pricking the corner of his good eye.

"You'll be okay, don't put up a fight, only makes things worse! I'm gonna get you out of this, just wait for me!" His panicked voice reached her ears once more.

The last thing she saw before a sudden pain split her skull was the first sign of tears slipping down his cheek and the sound of a ferocious roar before everything went black.

Coming to, Lucy was immediately bombarded with the cracking of a whip. The pain took a moment to set in. A scream tore itself from her throat before she could stop it. Her body shook against the chains she was in. She couldn't feel her arms, but her back was on fire. Looking up, she took notice of the blood that was slowly dripping from her wrists where they were held in shackles up above her head and holding her just off the floor. Looking down, she took notice of her lack of clothes, goosebumps rising along her body as the cold started to seep in. A stinging pain in the crook of her neck overtook the pain in her back for a moment before the burning came back full force.

"Look who's finally awake. Came to join in on the fun huh sweetheart?" A voice called out to her, quiet amongst the rushing of her own blood in her ears.

A male came into view in front of her. He held a bloody whip in one hand, a cup of water in the other. The sight of the water made her lick her lips, realizing just how dry and cracked they were. A grin spread across the man's face, his eyes meeting hers as he took a sip of the water.

"Ahh, that's refreshing." The man chuckled, setting the cup down away from the two and out of sight.

With the whip still in hand, he took a step towards the blonde, frowning when all she did was look up at him. Raising his hand, he brought it down against her stomach, watching in fascination as all she did was tense up, one eye squeezing closed before she let out a pained breath. He frowned, raising his hand once more and bringing it back over her stomach. The leather tore through her skin this time, leaving a bloody line behind. Still, Lucy didn't cry out. Her eyes met his once more, and the man was shocked to find her glaring at him. His frown turned sinister.

"You used to that one already huh? Guess we'll have to move onto something a little harder on the body then." The man stepped out of view.

"Hope you don't mind, but I prefer to start with the back." The voice reached her ears once more.

The sound of metal scraping against metal made her tense up. A hand placed itself against her left shoulder. The appearance of something cold against her other shoulder made her quiver. The man raised his hand and swung whatever it was down over her shoulder. A resounding crack filled the air and Lucy really couldn't feel one of her arms. Another cry slipped from her lips as he brought it down over the other shoulder before he stepped out from behind her and into her view. A large hammer lay in one hand, the dim light of the room reflecting off the metal surface. He tilted one head to the side, eyes squinting momentarily before he motioned for something out of her line of sight.

Her vision was starting to grow fuzzy, her head growing harder and harder to keep upright. Just as she blacked out once more, the feeling of multiple hands covering her body raised her further off the ground and placed her horizontally onto something cold.

She awoke to ice water being dumped over her head. Jolting off the table as far as she could, biting her lip in the process, she was reminded of where she was. The gray walls were growing familiar to her. As was the man towering over her prone form on the table. He held something just out of sight against her skin. Soft chattering reached her ears but she couldn't make out what was being said. The pain in her shoulders and back came back all at once. A whimper slipped past her lips, drawing all the attention back to her.

A few other men were in the room as well, all watching attentively as the main man held a cattle prod in his hand. He motioned for one of them to grab the hot coals and bring them up. He sat the prod into the coals before moving to grab a small carving knife. He raised it up so Lucy could see it before he brought it down to her right hip. He carved a rather large portion of her skin off, leaving the bloody meat underneath showing. Lucy in her dazed state of mind, couldn't hold back the screams that slipped past her lips. She wasn't sure she would've been able to if she were lucid anyway.

After a few moments, he took the red hot prod out of the coals and without a moment's notice, pressed the iron to her newly formed wound. The shriek that flew from her mouth had many in the room flinching in pain. The sizzle of flesh and the stench that came with the sound filled the room after her screams died down and she passed out once more. Pulling the prod off, he tore some skin with it, but what was left was a cauterized brand on her skin, in the shape of the Magic Council's insignia. The wound surrounding the brand was still very much open and bleeding.

The man reached over to a table and grabbed a bucket from off the surface. Pouring the bucket onto the wound, he heard the blonde groan in pain as the liquid made contact. The blood sizzled and burned off as more of the clear substance was poured onto it. After the whole bucket had been emptied, he tossed it aside and stepped back to stare at the girl before him. She had lost a bit of weight from being transferred there, mostly due to the fact that she wasn't being fed, and her skin had grown a deadly shade of white. Her long blonde hair hung limply around her shoulders, slick with sweat and grease from going so long with no shower. Any muscle mass she had before had disappeared, once again not surprisingly seeing as how she is rarely awake to even stand, let alone exercise. It had been weeks since they hauled her back to Fiore.

A numerous amount of new scars riddled her skin, the lashes from the whip being some of the most predominant. Looking back down at the brand on her skin, he supposed that one was going to stick out too. Turning to look back at the other men in the room, he took a step away from the girl and let a few guards step forward to take her back to her cell. Once the door was shut and they had her escorted back out of there, he smiled at the men.

He ushered for them to follow him out and into the hall, leading them all back into a larger room before they all took a seat around a large table. From then on, light conversation took over, many muttering to the person next to them as they lounged around and waited patiently for their day to be over.

Back in her cell, Lucy awoke to the sound of the cell door slamming shut. Her entire body hurt, but her mind was wide awake. The ever present thrum of her mate mark was the only thing that made all this bearable. She knew Cobra was out there trying his damndest to get to her, all she had to do was wait for him.

"Please Erik, find me soon." Lucy muttered, tears pricking the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall.

A growl forced itself out of his mouth. The pain that he felt through the bond flared up and made Cobra see red.

"I swear when I find you Starshine, nothing will stop me from tearing those who harmed you limb from limb, just hold on a bit longer for me, just a bit longer, I promise." Cobra turned to look back over his shoulder, taking notice of the rag tag group trailing him.

Laxus and Bickslow were chatting amongst themselves. Caleb was chatizing Vander for doing something that Cobra couldn't care less about. Zen and Farron were listening in on Laxus' and Bickslow's conversation, adding to it occasionally. Asael had decided he would accompany them and stuck close to the red head, something Cobra didn't find all that great, but he was keeping quiet so he didn't complain. The more the merrier he supposed.

Turning his eye back in the direction they were heading, he narrowed his eye on the just barely visible city coming into view.

'Just wait Tig ol' Bitties, I'll be there soon. Then I'll rain hell on those fuckers that took you from me.' An enraged look crossed his face as the smell of the city filled his nose, along with the sounds of those suffering in the prison he knew lay in the heart of it.

Over all the sounds he heard, the ones of the blonde in question rang the loudest, and if possible, his rage burned brighter.

'Fuck tearing them limb from limb. I'm going to disembowel them and shove their intestines into their mouths and force them to eat it before they die. They are going to regret everything they've done to you and then some.'

With renewed vigor, his pace sped up and the others who were trailing behind had to run to keep up with the pissed slayer leading the pack. Once in town, people easily parted for the group, many startled by the sudden appearance, but not willing to step into the way. Cobra shoved those that did stand in his path, not caring where they ended up as he carved his way to where they were keeping her.

Seeing the large towering walls come into view, a snarl spread across his face and before anyone could grab him to come up with a plan on getting in, he released a roar and broke through the cement. Storming the compound was apparently going to be easy with an enraged dragon on their side. Once in the courtyard, he released a toxic gas, not bothering to watch as many fell to the ground and out of his way of the main entrance. The group following behind, taking note of the carnage left behind. All of them realized just how important this meant to the male leading them.

"He's going to do this alone, to prove to the both of them just how he feels for her. None of us should interfere with this, just stand back and make sure nothing gets past his defences." Laxus motioned for the rest of them to follow, leading them into the building.

Cobra had long passed the entrance, taking twists and turns down hallways, following the scent of her blood in the air and the mating bond that led him right to her. Anybody who got in his way was easily disposed of in one way or another. Finding her curled up on herself on the dirty ground in a dark cell, covered in poorly healing scars and dried blood only drove him further off the deep end. Taking her gently into his arms, he felt just how unhealthy she had gotten in her rather short time staying there.

He could just make out her ribs poking through her skin and her collar bone jutting out sharply. Her breath came out in wheezes and some of her cuts looked like they were getting infected. The stench that came off of her had his eye watering. She smelled badly of decay. Her eyes cracked open ever so slightly, hazy and unfocused. She took in a breath through her nose and a small smile spread across her face, almost unnoticeable.

"Erik…" Lucy croaked before her eyes fell closed once more and she passed out.

Roaring, Cobra made sure his hold of her was solid before he traced back out of the cell and in the direction of what he hoped was the person responsible. Rounding a corner, he spotted a slightly cracked open door, lights on inside. Slamming it open, he came face to face with a group of men all sitting around a table, chatting idly about the pictures that were laid out in front of them. Many heads snapped up in his direction the second the door slammed against the wall and embedded itself in the drywall.

"Which one of you fuckers decided it was a good idea to do all of this to her?" Cobra's eye flicked over all the men, stopping on one who looked a little blue in the face.

Growling, Cobra stalked closer, getting up in the man's face. His eye took in every ounce of the man's growing fear, savoring the sound of his soul screeching in horror as he stared the devil in the eye. Cobra only smiled in response, the expression tainted by the pure bloodlust in his eye. He made his way back over to the door, pulling it free from the wall and shutting it with a click. Turning his head, he looked back into the eyes of the man before him.

"Oh, you don't know what you just got yourselves into." Cobra cackled, placing Lucy down gently before he leapt at them, his clawed hand extended towards them.

The sounds of shrieks and cries filled the air, accompanied by the occasional snarl or roar coming from somewhere the rest of the group dare not go. They found themselves waiting patiently for the male to return, with Lucy in tow. They however, weren't prepared for a drenched Cobra to come sauntering down the halls, Lucy in his arms passed out. The male was covered in blood, leaving a trail of it behind as he stalked closer. He passed by without so much of a nod in their direction.

The others turned to look at one another before they hurried back out of the place and followed him down the streets. The trip out of the city was not nearly as quiet as the trip in. The second people laid eyes on Cobra they screamed on the top of their lungs and ran away, creating mass chaos that they all avoided. Once night fell, they stopped to set up camp, Cobra up and disappearing with Lucy in his arms. The next morning, he showed back up, clean and not nearly as tense as he once was. The blonde was still asleep, although she was looking a lot better than she did the day before. They all suspected that she was going to sleep through the entire trip back. The way there took a couple weeks, seeing as how they had to track down just where they had taken the blonde, but this time, going back was a straight shot, so they believed it would only be a matter of days until they were back to the guild.

The days passed by slowly for everyone, each of them wanting to get home as quickly as possible and with nothing to keep their minds off of the journey back. So once the guild was in sight, sighs of relief was heard amongst the group. Each of them split off in different directions, many heading for their houses before they would meet back up at the guild and the last ones to break from the group were Lucy and Cobra. Cobra made sure to hold her close to himself the entire trip back, not wanting to accidentally drop her. Finally their apartment was in sight and with a pip in his step he easily bounded up the stairs, eager to get her back into the living space and comfortable while he prepared food for them.

Once inside, he laid her out on the couch, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head before he disappeared around the corner and into the kitchenette. Preparing a small meal, he grabbed himself a bowl and made his way back into the living room. Moving Lucy to where her head lay in his lap, he turned the t.v. on as background noise and quietly ate his food. Minutes went by and he quickly finished his food, placing the bowl on the table beside the couch, not wanting to move the blonde off his lap.

The sound of the t.v. made the silence of the room not as confining. Normally the blonde in his lap filled the house with mindless chatter or soft singing, not this ever present silence. The only thing to accompany the mindless noise of the television, was the steady breathing of his mate. Her skin had regained some of its color, mostly thanks to her spirits help with treating her wounds during the trip back. The scars that still riddled her skin made his blood boil, but knowing that he got revenge for her was enough to placate him. The familiar scent that was solely her filled the once stagnant air, further relaxing the male. With her head in his lap and the softness of her hair under his hands, he fell into a light slumber.

The next morning, he awoke to soft moans of pain from the blonde on his lap. Being as careful as he could, he lifted her from him and let her rest on the couch while he busied himself with gathering first aid materials. Judging from the scent of blood, she had bled through her bandages during the night. Scurrying back to the couch, he apologized to her softly before he slowly stripped her of the sleep clothes he placed on her the night prior, and took her bandages off softly. The gauze stuck to her skin and he had to tug ever so slightly to get it to peel away. The dried blood that came with it and pulled at her skin only further irritated her wounds. The blonde flinched with every tug the slayer had to deliver to get the coverings off.

Once all of them were taken off her front, he was able to inspect the damage delivered in full. The multitude of whip lashings and tell tale signs of irritation from the shackles they had around her wrists hit a little too close to home for him, his own scars itching under the clothes he wore. The worst wound of all looked to be the brand on her hip. His eye flashed dangerously at the silent threat to his mate's safety. They had marked her with the intent to own her and his dragon didn't like that one little bit. Biting back the growls that threatened to surface, he quickly tended to the still fresh wounds before wrapping them back up. Knowing full well that there were also wounds on her backside, he carefully flipped her over, taking notice of the small stain of red that sunk into the couch's fabric.

The state of her bandages on her back were far worse than those of her front. They were soaked through, blood steadily dripping down her skin and further staining the couch. Frowning at that, he took the bandages off, having little trouble this time seeing as how the blood wasn't dry like it was on her front. The wounds on her back were a lot more serious than those on her front. It almost seemed as if no inch of her skin was left clear of markings. The lashes were still open and slowly dripping blood. His frown only grew. Hoping that there were some needles and thread somewhere in the first aid box he dug through it and allowed himself to feel the relief at seeing the materials sitting innocently at the bottom.

Soaking the needle in alcohol and pulling a lighter from a drawer in the kitchen, he returned to the blonde and began to stitch her up. He made sure to disinfect the needle once more before he got to work. He lost track of how many stitches he had to give her before her back was once again in relatively one piece. Knowing if he were to flip her back over on her back it would only interfere with her stitches, he left her to rest on her stomach, hoping that it wouldn't be too painful if she were to wake up any time soon. Making sure to pull a bottle of painkillers out of the cabinet in the bathroom when he put the materials back in the first aid box, he fetched a bottle of water before he sat back down on the couch, ignoring the stain for the moment.

Pulling the girl back into his lap, he let himself play with her hair as the television played some random show in the background. Lucy shifted ever so slightly in his lap, another moan of pain slipping past her lips before her brown eyes slowly cracked open. The first thing she saw was the familiar eye of her mate. The hand on her head playing with her hair had her melting into the palm of his hand. A small smile spread across Cobra's face, his single eye shining with mirth as the female pressed her head further into his hand.

"Good morning precious." His deep voice sent shivers down her spine.

Returning his greeting, the woman stretched, her back protesting the movement. A hiss slipped past her lips, brows furrowing in pain as she recoiled. A frown spread across her mate's face and he turned from her line of sight. The hand on her head pulled away, making her miss the loss of the calming rubs against her hair. Once he came back into view, holding a bottle of pills and a water bottle, she felt immediately better. Allowing the male to slip the medicine between her lips, she took the bottle from his hand and greedily sucked the painkillers down. Slowly, the blonde sat up, ignoring the way her bandages pulled at her skin as she rose to sit beside him.

The two spent the rest of the morning sitting beside one another, neither of them really paying attention to the television that was left on overnight while they slept. The only reason they moved from the couch was to find food to eat and the sudden knock at the front door, startling the two as they sat down for their dinner. Cobra cast the blonde a glance before he stood from the couch to go and open it to let the large group he knew was outside in. The sight of all the people she grew to know over the last few months had a small smile spreading across her face, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she giggled at the noogie Bickslow gave her as he came over to check on her.

Once the group had managed to fit themselves in the apartment, each of them greeting the blonde and wishing her a steady and fast recovery, they spent the rest of their evening ordering take out and chatting happily with one another. Cobra watched as the blonde of his affections laughed and enjoyed herself with each of the males, chatting happily with every one of them about everything and nothing all at once.

Vander and Cristoff were arguing about something Cobra didn't care to listen to. Kaleb and Farron had dropped by as well, the two easily chatting with the blonde about Boscan traditions and the likes. Laxus and Bickslow were relaxing in the kitchen, sitting at the table in there as they discussed a new mission their team was bound to go on. Freed was out with Evergreen that day, something about a dress keeping them from visiting, Emzadi and Xally tagging along with the two. Arman had come with his sons, and was currently busying himself in the kitchen, putting away leftovers. Zen had offered to stay behind, a little embarrassed with how he had acted towards the blonde a few weeks prior, not yet ready to face her.

Cobra allowed himself to relax beside his woman, an arm wrapped around her shoulders as the chatter of their visitors filled the small place with warmth. As the sun went down and their guests all excused themselves slowly, the two found themselves drained of energy. A tired yawn slipped past the blonde's lips, her eyes drooping as she dozed off beside him. Casting her a quick glance, he scooped her up off the couch and carried her off into the bedroom, carefully placing her down in bed. He made sure to clean up the couch, trying his hardest to rid the fabric of the stain and failing badly. Placing a towel over it, he turned the lights off and made his way back to bed. Lucy was already fast asleep, lying on her side as soft snores poured out of her mouth.

Cobra crawled into bed, pulling the blonde over to himself and wrapping his arms around her securly. Once he was sure that she wasn't going anywhere, he slipped off into a dreamless slumber.


	12. Chapter 12

The next few weeks were spent relaxing in their shared apartment, giving Lucy enough time to rest and recuperate before either of them even thought of heading back to the guild. Even though most of her wounds had mostly healed by the time the one month mark came rolling around, the phantom pains still lingered. The ache she felt down to her very bones making it almost impossible to mentally heal from what happened. She had nightmares frequently of the abuse she suffered at the hands of those monsters, and the only thing she felt kept her sane was the constant worry of her mate by her side.

The weeks turned into months and Cobra knew he couldn't keep sitting idly by as his beloved lost herself to her endless agony he couldn't seem to shake her from. Waking her from her slumber was difficult, she hadn't been sleeping well recently and any sleep she managed to get always left her even more tired than she was before she fell asleep. Dodging the fist that came flying at his head, he sighed once she relaxed in his hold and cuddled up to his chest. Being careful not to startle her further, he pulled her up until she was sitting over the edge of the bed, making sure she wasn't going to crawl back into bed before he left her side to gather clothes for her to put on. Handing her the outfit, he watched as she blinked before turning curious eyes up to him.

"You're going to get in that shower, clean yourself off, and we are going to head to the guild. Staying cooped up in here isn't doing anything to help you and honestly, if I stay here for another day I'm going to go insane." Cobra made sure Lucy was capable of handling herself in the bathroom before he left her to clean up and made his way to the kitchen.

Pulling out a small bowl from the cabinet, he made himself something to eat while he waited for Lucy to finish getting ready. The sound of the shower starting up and the scent of lavender wafted through the air and made the tension that had been built up for months now slowly melt away. Soon the sound of soft humming rose to match the sound of the shower and it felt as if all these months hadn't happened, that they had just gotten back home from a short trip and were about ready to go meet with their friends. The emotions that rushed to the forefront surprised Cobra with their intensity, bringing tears to his eye. The sound of the shower being cut off and the humming slowly dying out brought him back to the present. Rustling of fabric and the bathroom door being pushed open clued him in that his mate was done getting ready and that their day was just about to begin.

Lucy smiled at the sight of the handsome man standing in the middle of the kitchen, an empty bowl in his hand as he watched her. She walked over to him, grabbed the empty bowl and placed it in the sink before she rose to brush her lips against his with a satisfied sigh. After the shower, she had to admit she felt better than she had in weeks. Pulling away from his lips with a dazed look in her eye, she smiled at him once more before grabbing him gently by the hand and leading him out the door, keys jingling on her hip as she shut it behind her. The trek to the guild was silent, but in a good way, the two enjoying the feeling of the sun on their skin and the mindless chatter of citizens as they went about their day. At the sight of the large walls, an anxiety she hadn't expected began to fester beneath her skin.

Cobra took notice of the sudden change in his mate and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a silent show of his own form of worry. Flashing him a smile and planting a small kiss to his cheek, she pushed the feeling down and allowed herself to get excited to see the rest of her family. Skipping up to the doors, she bit back all the fears she felt creeping up on her and pushed them open, allowing the sound of laughter and merriment fill her being. The sudden presence of someone by her side had her turning to look and her eyes met with bright blue eyes of someone she would consider her brother. Large arms wrapped around her waist and hefted her off the floor into a warm embrace. The sound of labored breathing rushed past her ears as Laxus buried his face in her neck and re-familiarized himself with her scent.

Choking on a wet laugh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and in turn stuck her face into the crook of his neck, letting his familiar scent wash over her and ground her in the present. Without warning, memories of Fairy Tail filtered through her mind and forced the tears that pricked the corner of her eyes to fall down her cheeks. Laxus gave no indication that he noticed her sudden change in mood, but the tightening of his hold on her made her tears fall faster. The two stood there in the entryway like that for some time, both of them mourning the loss of what was long gone.

After managing to get ahold of herself, Lucy patted the large man on the back and was promptly returned to the floor. It was as if that was all it took for everyone else she cared about to come flocking up to her. Bickslow and his brothers were at her side almost immediately, fluttering about her and striking up a conversation with her easily, almost as if no time had passed since they had last seen her. The rest of the day was spent hanging out with the family she didn't know she missed until she was with them.

Slowly, the fear Lucy felt gripping her soul was washed away with the constant love she felt for her family. No longer did she fear the ache she still felt in her body from time to time, she grew to accept what happened to her and moved on from the past that seemed to slip further and further away with each passing day. It wasn't until almost a year had passed that she realized just how far she had come. Looking back on the day that Fairy Tail disbanded no longer left a bad taste in her mouth. It left her feeling grateful. If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have met the love of her life, nor the family she grew to love almost as much as her first.

One particular day stood out to her. She woke up not to Erik's constant badgering, but the smell of a wonderful breakfast. The sight of her mate with a tray in his hands covered in an array of tasty foods. The soft smile on his face brought that same nostalgic feeling back with a vengeance. She remembered the time when that piercing eye stared at her and her friends with disdain and those lips were curled in rage. Smiling at the man she saw now, she motioned for him to join her, eyes lighting up as he placed the tray over her lap and sat down beside her, nuzzling the top of her head as she forked some eggs into her mouth.

It was that day where he had officially proposed to her, not that she needed a ring on her finger or a paper legally binding them together, their relationship transcended that, but it was something that brought tears to her eyes even five years after it had happened. The sound of her mate and husband's laughter filling their home, the sound of a soft voice shouting that he had cheated cutting through the air and bringing her back down to Earthland. Their four year old son sat cross legged at the coffee table, a pout on his lips as he glared down at the board game in front of him. His deep brown eyes sparkling with anger as he grumbled under his breath. Dark red hair hung in front of his eyes, reminding the blonde that she needed to take him for a haircut soon.

"Mercury mind your manners. Erik stop pestering him." Lucy called to the two, listening to simultaneous groans coming from their general direction.

Fighting back the smile that spread across her face, she rose from her lounge chair and turned to face the two as they set the game back up and started anew. Watching as her little boy stuck his tongue out and stared down at the board with such a ferocious look on his otherwise childlike face reminded her so much of her mate that it brought tears to her eyes. Erik noticed the change and looked up to see a soft look on her face and the wetness that slipped down her cheeks. Rising from his seat on the floor, he wrapped her up in a hug and let her bury her face against his neck. A fake gag and a scream of gross from her toddler had a laugh bubbling up from her chest.

"Oh come here you!" Lucy giggled as her son squealed in surprise when he was suddenly pulled from the floor and into loving arms.

"No mom stop!" Mercury cried, arms trying to pry the tight grip his mother had on him before she could complete her mission.

Nimble fingers tickled the soft skin of his sides and forced laughter from him. Squeals and cries slipped from his lips as his mother laid him down on the couch and blew raspberries on his belly. Lucy pulled back after a few moments, watching as her son caught his breath before he lunged at her and tickled her back. Erik watched the scene with a soft smile on his face. They had a few more hours before the rest of the gang came over for dinner and with that thought he swept up behind his mate and attacked her from behind, making her squeal louder as his fingers found that ticklish spot on her lower back.

"No, please I give!" Lucy laughed as her son bounced on her stomach and perched himself above her with a satisfied grin.

"How the mighty fall!" He cried before falling down onto her and wrapping his arms around her neck.

Lucy pulled herself off the floor and sat down on the couch, letting Mercury go back to his seat in front of the coffee table to resume their game. Lucy spent the remainder of their time together watching as the most important boys in her life played together.

 _ **Fin**_

 ***** I'm well aware how short this chapter was, and I'm sorry that the wait all of you went through led up to this, but with how the story was going I figured this would be as good an ending I would get out of it without dragging it out for another ten chapters and risk not finishing it. I am happy with how I ended this and I want to thank you all for sticking with the story and reading it even though updates have been a little sporadic for awhile.**

 **With this chapter, the story draws to a close. Perhaps I'll come back and write one more chapter for it, where Lucy meets up with her old family of Fairy Tail but that seemed a little forced on my part and having Lucy make a home for herself in Bosco made so much more sense to me. I hope you enjoyed the story and thank you for coming on this wild ride with me! *****


End file.
